Removal firm is back on the road making moves to stay in business following the coronavirus outbreak

John McCrorey has been in the relocation business for over 30 years but within the last 10 weeks he's retrained and made changes to his longstanding company, McCrorey's Removals.

The 52-year-old has completed just three removals since March, all for key workers, but they were enough to give him and his team a taste of the new norm.

John told the Tele: "We knew from way before lockdown was announced that there were going to be changes within the removal business so we had started to look ahead.

"For me, it was more about how can I adapt to make sure that clients, staff, contractors and my family all stay safe and well.

"I've taken this time to really solidify how I am going to approach my business moving forward."

To prepare for life after the pandemic, John spent six weeks studying to gain two certificated qualifications in the infection control field.

Now, if a removal client wishes, John is qualified to fully sanitise their home using the same technology and materials used to disinfect aircraft.

John said: "I wanted to make sure we are doing everything right and abiding by all government advice, so have gained this skill to help me adapt to what could be the expectations in the future.

"It's all about how I can provide for my family and put food on the table, so if it means I need to branch out and perhaps start offering this service to other places, such as soft play areas, I'm more than willing to do so."

John has also restricted how many staff work on jobs, ensures that he and his team members are in full PPE, has introduced temperature checks for employees and has changed his terms and conditions to include mandatory new paperwork.

McCrorey's Removals work in Inverclyde and beyond and completed a mammoth move that allowed an Ardgowan Hospice key worker to relocate from England and return to work, something which John took extra precautions doing.

He added: "We knew we were crossing the border and rightly so could have been stopped, so we ensured that we had all paperwork and wore PPE for the whole journey.

"My colleague and I were spaced apart in the van and we both sat with masks on for over seven hours while we were driving.

"I have never come across anything like this in my lifetime and will do everything that I can to ensure the business survives this."