Eligible businesses in Allerdale are being reminded they have less than two weeks left to apply for discretionary grants of up to £25,000.

A grant scheme has been set up by Allerdale Borough Council to help businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown.

The council is particularly keen to get applications from charitable or community interest organisations that have seen a drop in trading income.

The council said it has already paid out more than £330,000 to 20 organisations in the past two weeks.

This is the second round of the scheme and the council is prioritising small and micro businesses, as defined in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 and the Companies Act 2006.

Businesses must be able to demonstrate at least a 25 per cent fall in trading income, when comparing their income in April 2019 with April this year.

There are some types of businesses specifically excluded from the scheme, such as housing associations.

Businesses cannot apply if they are eligible for any of the other grant schemes or financial support initiatives announced by the Government, except the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme or the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

They also need to be able to show that they were trading on March 11.

The closing date for applications is August 10 at 5pm and full details of the scheme, criteria and how to apply are available on the council's website.