The number of confirmed coronavirus cases at a Sunderland engineering plant has almost doubled from 14 to 27.
Unipres, which has a plant in Washington, Sunderland, confirmed that there have been 27 confirmed cases of Covid-19 at the site but stressed the company adheres to all Government protocols.
Last week, ChronicleLive reported that 14 employees at the plant had tested positive for the virus, but managing director Gary Graham has confirmed there are now 27 positive cases.
The company said it is working "incredibly hard" to ensure a safe environment for their workforce and added the increase in cases is a reflection on current conditions in the rest of the UK and North East.
Out of the 27 individuals, 17 members of staff are expected to return to the plant by the end of this week.
Mr Graham said: "Like every large business in the country, we are working incredibly hard to ensure a safe environment for our workforce.
"But we are a reflection of the rest of the UK and North East – the situation changes on a daily basis, so we respond as proactively as possible to those changes to keep our workforce safe.
"Since last week we have seen Covid positive cases increase to 27.
"However, we anticipate that 17 of these will return to work by the end of the week, having completed their mandatory recovery periods."
The car parts company- which was initially formed as a joint venture between Nissan and another Japanese corporation before becoming independent in the 1990s - employs 1,000 people across Wearside.
It returned to full production in May and ensured health and safety protocols are of "paramount importance".
