STRUGGLING self-employed workers in York are worrying how they will be able to pay their bills - as the government is yet to announce a support package to help them.

Residents have said how they are having to stop working due to the latest government measures, but are still in the dark about whether they will receive financial aid.

The owner of a York hair salon said she is "truly heartbroken" after having to close it down because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Emma Rawson has posted an emotional message in the window of Bonito Hair in Fishergate, which has shut until further notice.

She said: “In my 14 years of owning Bonito Hair, I’ve never felt so scared of losing what I love so much, but I’ll do my very best to come back stronger than ever. I am truly heartbroken but it’s the right decision to make."

Emma told The Press she had spent hours yesterday on the phone, trying to resolve the problems caused by having continuing costs but with no income coming in.

Meanwhile, Steve Harris, boss of Anytime Travel York, said: “I’ve had to lay two staff off, but possibly can keep them if the Government will pay 80 per cent of their wages. It’s very grim.”

York Central MP Rachael Maskell said: “It is absolutely vital that all self-employed workers are fully protected. This week I have been trying to amend the Coronavirus Bill to ensure that self-employed workers have the same financial protections as all workers, and those small businesses should be able to access the loans for small businesses and wages protection measures.

“We cannot risk people attending work if they are unwell, have an underlying health condition or should be isolating.”

In the House of Commons yesterday (Tuesday), Chancellor Rishi Sunak said self-employed people will have to wait for the Government to come up with a “deliverable and fair” coronavirus support package.

Mr Sunak told MPs it is “incredibly complicated” to design a system to support the self-employed but insisted that intensive work is going on in Whitehall.

He said ministers understand the situation that many self-employed people face and are determined to support them.