SAUSAGE roll and pasty production at a popular bakery chain has been stopped after an outbreak of coronavirus at the North-East factory.

Greggs reportedly said a ‘small number’ of staff out of 300 workers at its plant near Newcastle have been affected.

The bakery said supplies should not be affected due to a large reserve of frozen stock.

A deep clean at the factory is now being carried out and staff are being tested before production can resume.

The logistics and distribution side of the businesses is not affected.

A Greggs spokesperson said: “Following a small number of colleagues having tested positive for COVID-19 at our Balliol manufacturing facility, we have taken the decision to temporarily stop production as a precautionary measure to keep our teams as safe as possible.”

The company still expects to supply the 1,700 Greggs outlets around the country.

A spokesman said: “We do not foresee any stock shortages in our shops at this time.”