COMMUNITIES in Merseyside are heading for financial devastation caused by the coronavirus unless the government takes action, council leaders warned today.

They say that the economic effects of the pandemic and the lockdown will hit Merseyside more than other regions, and they have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanding intervention.

In the letter, Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and council leaders in Liverpool, Wirral, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Halton said that the region could face a funding gap of almost £250 million.

Merseyside has suffered higher coronavirus infection rates and mortality than other regions, with a high prevalence of deprivations and diseases associated with poverty and high demands on social services made more acute by the pandemic.

Mr Rotheram said: “At the beginning of this crisis, local authorities were told by government to do ‘whatever it takes’ to support communities.

“That’s what we have done — and the response from our local councils has been nothing short of incredible.

“But this response comes at a cost — and the figures involved are just startling. This is expenditure that we haven’t made by choice but by necessity.”

Council leaders said that their authorities were spending an extra £10m a week to protect residents and, coupled with other costs, the region was facing a bill of £341m over six months.

They said that £100m allocated from central government covers only 30 per cent of their needs.

They called on the PM to recognise the need for extra funding for the area, whose culture, retail and tourism and manufacturing have been severely hit by the virus.