28 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed at Walkers Crisps’ Beaumont Leys site in Leicestershire.

The UK’s biggest crisps brand employs over 1,400 people at its site in Leicester and said the number of confirmed cases had increased since June.

The company has since insisted that transmission of the virus took place outside of its factory and that its products were unaffected.

Walkers added that it had been in regular contact with food authorities and the Government in order to ensure appropriate measures are in place to protect its employees from the virus.

The news comes after the Government enforced a local lockdown in Leicestershire after a spike of Covid-19 cases were confirmed across the county.

A spokesperson from Walkers said: “The safety of our team and their families is our number one priority and we continue to maintain the highest level of vigilance to help prevent the spread of the virus and to protect our people.

“We have seen an increase in the number of confirmed cases, reflecting the situation in the local community and coinciding with the roll-out and uptake of testing.

“We are in regular contact with the local health authorities and Government bodies and are reassured that we have all the correct measures in place to protect our employees.”

Walkers added that the workers which tested positive are now self-isolating on full pay.