CHESHIRE East Council has suspended its birth registrations because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The taking of notices of marriage and civil partnership are also suspended, the Register Office is closed to the public and all death registrations will be conducted via phone.

The council said the changes had been made to ensure the safety of staff and customers and to focus resources more effectively.

The series of changes are as follows.

All death registrations will be conducted via phone. The service is liaising with Leighton Hospital, Macclesfield General Hospital and GP surgeries across Cheshire East.

Anyone needing to book an appointment to register a death should call 0300 123 5019. Birth registrations are suspended, and claims for Child Benefit and Universal Credit can still be made.

The taking of notices of marriage and civil partnership are also suspended. The Register Office is closed to the public.

A council spokesman said: “Over the last couple of weeks the service’s ceremonies team has been in contact with hundreds of couples who have weddings or civil partnerships booked in Cheshire East over the coming months.

“At present no ceremonies can be conducted and many couples have already moved their ceremony to later this year or to 2021.

“The service is being as flexible as possible in accommodating couples who need to change the date of their ceremony.”

“Any couples who have concerns over bookings are encouraged to contact the service by email at ceremonysupport@cheshireeast.gov.uk

“We would ask people to be patient as the service is dealing with a high volume of emails and is responding to inquiries in date order of the ceremony. Updates will be provided on the service’s website.

“The service will be delivering ceremonies again as soon as it can and it is safe to do so. During a typical year, more than 2,000 couples marry or enter into a civil partnership in Cheshire East.”

Councillor Jill Rhodes said: “Our registration service is experiencing a very high number of inquiries due to the unprecedented impact of Covid-19.

“We do understand people’s concerns, but would ask customers to please bear with us.

“We will respond to enquiries as soon as we can – but there will inevitably be a delay. We thank people in advance for their patience and understanding at this challenging time.”