Coronavirus: Laundrette 'angels' help tower block residents

A laundrette is helping tower block residents who were finding social distancing impossible if they wanted to wash their clothes.

Residents of Lansdowne Court in Easton, Bristol, said they were forced together in areas such as the small laundry room and the lifts.

They said they were having to choose between washing and staying safe.

Local laundrette At The Well heard about their difficulty and offered a mobile laundry service.

About 80 families live in the tower and none of them have washing machines; instead they have to use five communal machines in a small room.

At The Well, a family business, takes dirty washing away and returns it clean.

As first-time customers, all the residents had their laundry done free of charge.

After this, as the laundry tries to stay in business, delivery and collection are free but residents are charged for the washing.

Ellen Grist from the laundrette said: "We've got a laundrette that's stood empty and it's just human nature to want to help anyone you can."

One resident, Samuel Smith, who lives on the 15th floor of the tower block, described Ms Grist and her colleagues as "angels".

"This is just what we needed, we needed that help," he said.