A WATER company has hired out-of-work truck drivers used to being in the events industry to give them jobs during the coronavirus crisis.

Thames Water has recruited 19 drivers from R Jameson Event Transport, who usually work on production such as The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.

Now the recruits, who are undergoing training at the firm's Basingstoke treatment works, will be able to stay in work whilst the rest of the industry has collapsed.

Justin Lambourne, Thames Water’s head of operational projects, said: “It’s a win-win situation. A lot of their usual work has been cancelled and we need good quality drivers to help us continue to provide a reliable service to our customers.”

Richard Jameson, founder of R Jameson, added: “Thames Water is our only hope of surviving this. The whole industry collapsed earlier this month, we lost 150 jobs within a couple of hours and were left with no work for three months and beyond.

“I was left with a load of trucks and drivers who had nothing to do. This agreement has secured my guys some employment throughout this difficult period.”

The new workers will be able to carry out route, on-site work for Thames Water, including transport sludge.

This will add depth to the team and free up Thames Water’s experienced industry drivers to undertake more complex jobs, including water network maintenance, repairs or supporting priority facilities like hospitals and care homes.