ALMOST £25m worth of grants have been distributed to businesses in a Hampshire borough since the start of the pandemic.

In response to the pandemic, the government provided a variety of grants to help businesses stay afloat as many faced closures and reduced services due to restrictions.

Since the start of the pandemic, Eastleigh Borough Council has now distributed a total of £24,842,938 through available schemes.

In the latest lockdown period payments totalling £6,984,188 have been distributed to businesses across the borough.

Over the last month the council has distributed funds to 426 businesses under the second cycle of closed addendum scheme.

Applications for the scheme are still open and the council is now urging business owners to make use of funding available.

A council spokesperson said: "Our Economy team have been working hard to make sure that businesses in the Borough receive the financial support that they are entitled to, as businesses continue to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic."