Cazana has launched KeyworkerGarages.co.uk, an online aftersales portal designed to guide frontline workers to maintain their vehicles and stay mobile during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

The new website contains information on the service centres that are still offering motor support services to key workers and will direct NHS workers, police, delivery drivers to their nearest provider.

To get started, keyworkers have to enter their postcode to access specific location details, opening hours and key contacts.

Cazana chief executive, Tom Wood, said: “This is a challenging time for both the automotive industry and all those who are on the front line fighting this pandemic and we wanted to do something as a team to help both the nation’s essential keyworkers and the dealer service departments remaining open.

“I’m massively proud of the team here at Cazana who have been collecting data and have built this new site over the past week with the intention of helping people to stay mobile during this crisis.”

Cazana acknowledged that, despite many business shutdowns, there are still millions of keyworkers, volunteers and support staff who need their vehicles repaired and there are a number of service centres staying open to support this group and willing to help.

The team at Cazana have collated the data of open service centres from their partner dealers that remain open.

Cazana encourages any centres not listed to submit their details on the site to keep the website up to date.

Last week Marshall Motors and Vertu Motors bosses Daksh Gupta and Robert Forrester recognised the efforts of their car retail workforce to support the NHS and other key workers during the coronavirus lockdown period.

Marshall Motor Holdings will keep 62 of its aftersales operations open across the UK in an effort to support the emergency services, commercial vehicle operators and key workers during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

Days after fellow AM100 car retail group boss, Vertu Motors chief executive Robert Forrester, urged Vertu staff which had been categorised as “furloughed” under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to volunteer to help the NHS.

He said: “We have people who are great drivers, they have great personal skills and frankly many of them don’t want to be sat at home with nothing to do.

“It’s not without risk but those are risks that some of our people are willing to take.”