Five rough sleepers have been offered accommodation by Hertsmere Borough Council during the coronavirus pandemic.

The council says three rough sleepers have accepted the offer - and it continues to work with police and its other partners to ensure no one else continues to sleep on the street.

At the end of March, the government wrote to all local authorities in the UK with details of how to protect rough sleepers during the pandemic.

The government is set to allocate £1.6 billion nationally to be able to deliver the various services, which includes accommodation.

In Hertsmere, the council has confirmed it has so far offered accommodation to five of its known rough sleepers.

This is mainly shared accommodation although the council says it has a number of self-contained units available for appropriate cases.

But the council is also appealing for the public's help to reach out to people who are sleeping on the streets in Hertsmere during the coronavirus lockdown - and you can help via the website StreetLink.

StreetLink is a website, mobile phone app and telephone service which enables members of the public to connect adults sleeping on the streets with local services.

Councillor Jean Heywood, responsible for housing, said: "Our main priority at this time of unprecedented national crisis is to keep our residents safe, particularly those in vulnerable groups, such as rough sleepers.

"While we have been able to provide a number of individuals with accommodation, there may be others who we have not as yet been able to contact and who would qualify for support.

"We would ask members of the public who are worried about anyone sleeping rough to report it through StreetLink.

"In the meantime, we are working with our partners, including the police, to visit rough sleepers to provide them with guidance of where to go for support."

Find out more by going to https://www.streetlink.org.uk/StreetLink_HomePage, by downloading the StreetLink app or by calling 0300 500 0914.