COVID conspiracy theorists are not welcome on the Isle of Wight, the leader of the council has said.

Isle of Wight Council representatives have been receiving emails claiming the coronavirus, which in some cases is deadly, is not real and lockdowns are not necessary.

Cllr Clare Mosdell, the council's cabinet member for adult social care, public health and housing needs said she has already received two today (Thursday).

Speaking at a meeting of the Local Outbreak Engagement Board (LOEB) earlier this afternoon, Cllr Mosdell said people need to understand councillors have feelings and they are each going through their own individual battles which makes receiving conspiracy emails even more difficult.

Sharing how Covid-19 has impacted her family, with three members of her family contracting the virus, Cllr Mosdell told the LOEB she was not able to visit her 80-year-old mother, who has been hit hard by the virus, to tell her the news that a friend had died due to Covid.

She said: "I really struggle with this. I know no one wants to walk in someone else’s shoes but you want to have a few days in mine just after Christmas when my mum was so desperately ill to understand how real and how scary Covid really is.

"We need to not be complacent, it is not a conspiracy and we are all doing our best to keep our community safe."

Cllr Dave Stewart, leader of the council, told anyone who might want to send him a conspiracy theory about how Covid is not real 'don't bother'.

He said: "This is real, we want to get through this - we are getting through this with tremendous work going on and we will leave [conspiracy theorists] flagging behind because they are not the kind of people we want on the Island, giving those kind of messages."

On the Island, while the seven-day case rate is falling from its peak in January, 6,447 people have tested positive for the virus with more than 220 people dying.