"I hope my story will make people realise how dangerous coronavirus can be"

The Mayor and Mayoress of Harrogate are hoping their personal experience with coronavirus will make people take it more seriously, as infection rates in the town begin to increase.

In the last seven days, 74 coronavirus cases have been identified in the Harrogate district.

Mayoress April Martin struggled to get out of bed when she contracted Covid-19 and spent two weeks in hospital fighting off the virus.

She said: "It developed more and more over a few days. I was breathless, I lost my taste and I just felt absolutely awful.

"I didn't realise I was that severe until I got to hospital. The consultant told me that if my heart stopped they wouldn't be able to resuscitate me because my lungs were so bad."

When asked about her time in hospital, Mayoress Martin said it was a "very scary time" as she didn't know if she would make it home.

She added: "I was in a four bedded bay and I saw so many people come and go who sadly didn't make it.

"I would lay there and think 'Gosh is it going to be my turn next?' It was terrible"

Mayor Stuart Martin was unable to travel to hospital with his wife and didn't know if it would be the last time her saw her.

He said: "I had to say goodbye in the ambulance. It didn't really hit me until I got back in the house that it might have been the last time I ever spoke to her. That was a really dark moment for me.

The Mayor is warning people to not be complacent and to not think it won't ever happen to you.

He said: "People shouldn't think 'It's never going to hit me, it'll never get me.' Well I would say you should take every precaution you can to keep yourself safe.

"Anybody can catch it. We have no idea where we got it from and nearly took April away from me"