Coronavirus: Dogs Trust Loughborough in Wymeswold unable to take in any more pets

The dog welfare charity originally said they would have to stop drop-ins to their site and move to an appointment only system for potential adopters.

Now, they are having to take further steps - closing their centre to members of the public.

This will also affect their adoption services and limits the number of animals they can take in.

Jack Johnson, regional manager at Dogs Trust, said: “Our centres are closed to walk-in members of the public and, as of now, we will not be starting the rehoming process for any new adopters. If you are due to take a dog home in the next few days, we will contact you as soon as we can, please bear with us.

“Anyone who is due to have a rehoming appointment, unfortunately these have been suspended until further notice.

“Due to government restrictions, we will be unable to take in dogs to our rehoming centres right now. If you need urgent help regarding giving up your dog, contact us immediately and we will offer you as much advice and support as we can.

“We would like to reassure you that our wonderful staff will continue to provide the best possible care for our dogs, while avoiding any close interaction with each other.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to those individuals who are doing everything they can to make sure our dogs get fed, walked and looked after.

“Everyone can keep up-to- date with all of our latest news via our website and social media platforms.”