Work continues at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset but workforce cut by half

Thousands of workers are still making the journey to the Hinkley Point C building project near Bridgwater but the workforce is set to be halved to around 2,000.

Watch Rupert Evelyn's ITV News report:

The beaches of Somerset are deserted as the warning to stay at home appears to have been heeded but on the Bristol Channel coast thousands of people are still clocking in to work at Europe's largest building site.

The Government has deemed the jobs at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station near Bridgwater to be essential and French energy giant EDF says that it is "a project of critical national importance".

The number of construction workers will now be reduced by more than half to around 2,000 to mitigate the coronavirus risk and bosses have pledged to reduce staffing levels further as the project progresses.

But critics and opponents have rounded on the decision to carry on and have called on the Government to halt proceedings.

Workers have been photographed close to each other in the canteen and sitting shoulder to shoulder on the buses which transport them to and from the site.

This is at odds with Government advice to socially distance.

EDF said a series of measures would be adopted that would involve split shift working and staggered breaks, while fewer staff would allow easier social distancing in operational areas and in the canteen.