Council officers have been paying home visits to check people at risk of spreading Covid are self-isolating properly.

Hertfordshire County Council, working with district councils and the fire and rescue service, dropped by hundreds of homes last week to provide advice and support to those told to isolate.

It was part of a scheme called Self-Isolation Support day, with nearly 900 households visited last Thursday.

Although the scheme is designed to check on people's health and wellbeing and ensure they have the supplies they need, it is also an opportunity to ensure those who have been told to self-isolate - perhaps because they have Covid or because they have been told to by NHS Test and Trace - are doing so.

This morning, Hertfordshire public health director Jim McManus revealed out of 893 households visited last week across the county, that had been told to self-isolate, 89 per cent were doing exactly what they'd been asked to do - keeping themselves firmly at home.

Mr McManus said around two per cent of those visited were found to be "really non-compliant", suggesting they were refusing to isolate as they had been asked to do.

The public health chief has worked out if those 893 households across Hertfordshire failed to self-isolate properly as instructed to do so, they could collectively infect up to and around 290,000 people if the virus spread.

Mr McManus said: "We understand that self-isolating can be extremely difficult for many people, but it is absolutely vital if we are to prevent the virus from spreading, and, ultimately, to save lives.

"We want to make sure everyone is aware that help, including practical advice, is available if they need it.

"We’re urging everybody to keep playing their part. Our residents have been amazing in doing the right things to help to reduce transmission of Covid-19 over the last year but we must keep going – if we do, we can start to think about getting back to the types of lives we enjoyed before the pandemic."

Out of the near 900 households visited, just over 500 were given offers of support.

Support is available through HertsHelp, which can assist with issues such as collecting shopping and vital medical supplies as well as money and debt concerns.

HertsHelp can be reached by phoning 0300 123 4044, by emailing info@hertshelp.net or by visiting www.hertshelp.net

Other agencies are also on hand to help anyone self-isolating, such as the Hertfordshire Domestic Abuse Helpline on 08 088 088 088 and Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services on 0800 652 3169.