Coronavirus: Supermax's 88.5m gloves bought for NHS Published duration 27 March Related Topics Coronavirus pandemic

image copyright Supermax image caption Supermax in Peterborough manufactures the disposable gloves in Malaysia

A company's entire stock of 88.5 million medical gloves has been bought by the government for use by NHS staff during the coronavirus outbreak.

Supermax, based in Peterborough, said it was approached for the disposable gloves last week by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Managing director Iain Crawford said providing all its stock for NHS use was "the right and proper thing to do".

The Department of Health has been approached for comment.

Supermax has about 700 customers across the globe including firms in the medical, automotive and food industries.

Mr Crawford said the large majority had backed their decision to provide the gloves to the NHS.

Mr Crawford said the firm wanted to help "those people in our country who are leaving their families and putting themselves at risk every single day to protect all of us and this is quite simply the best way that we as a company can do that".