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A mum-of-four has been sacked from her job working for a car dealership - after saying they should not be at work amid the coronavirus crisis.

As the pandemic continues across the country, Samantha Gilmore raised concerns over being told to go to work amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

The woman, from Staffordshire, argued that the Lexus Stoke dealership, in Trentham Lakes, should be completely shut, reports StokeonTrentLive.

Samantha told our sister title: "I feel like I have been fired because I spoke up."

She added: "I was called in on Wednesday morning me and they told me that they are correct to stay open. They had me over a barrel and I was still serving my probation period.

"In my opinion, we were not an 'essential' trade. To me, a car is a luxury item.

"I'm very worried now. I'm just collecting my thoughts. I have four children, aged 15, 13, 11 and seven. My husband works from home so we're lucky in that respect."

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Vehicle sales were suspended at the dealership from Tuesday, March 24. Staff will continue to deliver customers' vehicles until all operations cease on March 31.

But principal manager George Holden said: "From a showroom point of view Lexus Stoke is closed. We have to stay open for services and for key workers.

"We are only open, as it stands now, from an after-sales point of view. Following Government advice we are essential to open and that's for the service of Lexus and non-Lexus vehicles. After this we would only open for a key worker who needed to be put back on the road."

He added: "I have a wonderful list of doctors and nurses at the Royal Stoke University Hospital and I want to keep them on the road. All Lexus facilities across the country are following the same protocol.

"As with any business, decisions need to be made but I can assure you the reasons that have been raised are not correct."

And he continued: "I employ 112 people and only one employee in these troubled times has left the business unfortunately. Nobody has been fired for the reasons that have been stated.

"Both the owners have the health, safety and financial security of all their employees in mind. Nobody has been made redundant. Everybody is on furlough from April 1.

"Everybody working here is following strict social distancing policy guidelines, using hand sanitiser and wearing masks. Everybody who has picked a vehicle up since Government guidelines and everybody that has picked one up before, we are providing instructions to people in the car from a safe distance."