Six thousand five hundred staff at building giant Kier have been told they will see their wages cut by up to 25 per cent for the next three months.

The business, which has a base at Quedgeley, just south of Gloucester and employs 18,000 in total, has kept 80 per cent of its sites open during the early stages of the coronavirus lockdown. Although it acknowledges that might change.

It is understood salaries will be cut by between 7.5 per cent and 25 per cent for some of its most senior executive staff, with the reductions coming into force from Wednesday (April 1) and lasting until the end of June.

A Kier spokesperson said: "On the March 22, we confirmed a number of measures taken by the Group in response to COVID-19, including the early closure of Tempsford Hall and the executive committee taking a three-month reduction in their base salary.

"On the 27 March, we announced that further groups of employees would also take a three-month salary reduction, ranging from 7.5 per cent to 20 per cent dependent on their grade and our executive directors would take a 25 per cent salary reduction during this period.

"All operative employees whose work is essential in delivering vital infrastructure and services to our clients and customers, including maintaining the UK's highways, providing FM services to the NHS and delivering works in the water, gas, power, telecoms and rail sectors, are exempt from this measure, which has been taken to ensure the croup is able to operate as efficiently as possible in these unprecedented circumstances."

It is thought the measures could be extended if the epidemic continues.

All work at its Kier Living business has ceased.

Kier works for the Government building hospitals, schools and other infrastructure projects.