CUMBRIA'S university says it has "four isolated" positive student cases of coronavirus.

The University of Cumbria welcomed students back to its campuses this month, with many classes moving online due to the pandemic.

A spokeswoman for the university said: “We can confirm we have four isolated positive student cases. All necessary support and guidance is being offered to the individuals concerned and we thank them for informing us immediately.

“The very small number of cases are unconnected and are from across the whole university, not just the county of Cumbria, and involve, in some cases, individuals who have not yet been on campus.

"In addition, the guidance we issued to our students and staff informing them of what they should do if they test positive was followed."

The necessary precautions have now been taken to reduce the risk of further transmission, the university said.

“The students are now self-isolating along with their households and any close contacts, and our outbreak management plan is operating successfully," continued the spokeswoman.

“We continue to work closely with our Public Health Authority representatives on this and together we are closely monitoring the situation.

“The health and well-being of our staff and students is our priority and we are issuing regular communications to them through a variety of channels. This includes key public health messages to help mitigate and reduce the spread of the virus and signposting where to go for up-to-date, official advice.

“We continue to encourage people to follow the government’s ‘Hands, Face, Space’ advice and adhere to social distancing and safety messages to help reduce the spread of coronavirus.”