Mace confirmed that more than 800 of its 5,000 employees will be put into furlough immediately with more possibly to follow.

The Mace board has taken a 40% pay cut while remaining staff will receive full pay at the moment.

A Mace spokesperson said: “Yesterday we made the difficult decision to put over 800 Mace colleagues into furlough.

“While our teams are pushing to quickly establish new ways of working that will allow us to open our sites safely, in the interim it is necessary for us to use the Government’s job retention scheme.

“All Mace colleagues will remain on full pay during furlough.

“The Group Board is working hard to implement our contingency plans and develop strategies that will help our business to remain resilient in the face of these challenges.

“The Board unanimously agreed on Friday to take an immediate minimum 40% cut in their rewards package.”