Brent Council apologised after contractors carrying out work on a resident’s flat were caught without sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE).

It responded to a complaint from Styler Tafari, of Kenton Road, who said she was “alarmed” the workers were not wearing masks and gloves when they replaced her front door on January 7.

Ms Tafari said she felt particularly vulnerable since her family is of Afro-Caribbean heritage and her son suffers from asthma, which means they limit the time they are outside or have visitors.

She said: “To my horror on walking into my hallway, they were in my home doing the work with the door closed, walking around my hallway with no PPE for an hour or so.

“I did not confront them because I didn’t want them communicating with me with no mask on, so I returned to my front room until the work was complete although when they left, they were speaking to me about the work they had carried out, still in my hallway with no mask or gloves.

“This should never have happened and as a council during a pandemic, the staff and contractors should be following government guidelines to protecting others.

“This never happened and has no left me very anxious wondering if they have bought Covid into my home.”

She added she would no longer allow Brent Council workers into her home unless they are fully PPE-compliant.

A spokeswoman for Brent Council explained all incidents such as this will be “fully investigated” and maintained its processes are “robust and usually work well”.

She said: “Keeping residents safe at this difficult time is our priority. We ensure that any contractor working on the council’s behalf has rigorous Covid-19 safety procedures in place.

“On this occasion, it appears that these processes were not fully adhered to and we apologise for the distress this has caused.

“The members of staff in question have been retrained on Covid-19 safety procedures and have tested negative for Covid-19.”