A council wants to start a car pool scheme with NHS workers in Swadlincote, despite the risk of spreading Covid-19.

South Derbyshire District Council is set to approve setting up a pool car shared between its employees and those working at Swadlincote Health Centre, opposite its Civic Way HQ.

So far, the NHS operates 30 pool cars in north Derbyshire, which are all low emission Ford Fiestas, a scheme which started in 2011.

The council aims to run the car pool on a trial four-month period.

It would be provided with a permit to on park any car park owned by the council.

Staff would be able to reserve the car for between an hour and a day through an online booking system, operated by Enterprise.

It would be offered to select council staff including those where "the use of their own vehicles presents some level of personal risk – for example officers performing enforcement duties".

The council would pay £39.56 per day for fuel up to a maximum of 60 miles and insurance. Staff using the vehicle, also to be a Ford Fiesta, would not have to pay to use the car.

It hopes to extend the scheme to a longer-term arrangement from March.

It says in its report: "Clearly the use of any shared resource during the current pandemic carries a risk of Covid transmission.

"The NHS already has a Covid risk assessment and mitigation measures in place for its pool vehicles and all council users of the vehicle would be expected to comply in full with the mitigation and risk management measures."

The council says the maximum potential cost of the trial will be £4,800, although this assumes that the vehicle is used all day, every day by council staff.

It says it is "highly likely" that the actual cost will be below £1,000.

The council had looked into buying an electric car but said this would cost £25,000 to £35,000 while it says a hybrid would be £20,000 to £30,000.

It had also approached Toyota but it was told there was no scheme available.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust said: "We have run a well-established car pool in north Derbyshire for several years which enables individuals to book out a pool car.