EAST Renfrewshire Council ordered millions of anti-bacterial wipes and hundreds of thousands of face masks for staff in a bid to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.

The fight against Covid-19 also led to the local authority ordering 2,500 bottles of sanitiser gel, 2,000 disposable aprons, almost 5,000 gloves and hundreds of coveralls in early April.

There was an order for 250,000 'type-II' medical masks on April 14 and, just a few days later, council chiefs placed an order for 128,000 aprons and almost 100,000 more gloves.

Later in April, the council ordered 50,000 type-II masks and more than 1,500 packs of 200 anti-bacterial wipes.

During May, 100,000 type-II masks were bought, as well as 200,000 aprons and 78,000 gloves in different sizes.

Earlier this month, a total of 5,000 'FFP3' masks and more than four million anti-bacterial hand wipes were ordered.

The council has also purchased 200 sanitiser stations and 300 alcohol hand sanitiser canisters. It is understood these will be used in local schools.

A sub group was set up to cover issues concerning personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensure public health guidance was being followed.

A report by the council's chief executive, Lorraine McMillan, states: "Procurement of PPE is complex, as worldwide demand has increased.

"A specific team was set up to ensure that a sufficient long-term supply is in place to meet the needs of all staff who require it."