DISABILITY groups and spokespeople in south Cumbria have expressed concerns over the Government's decision to make mask-wearing compulsory.

Putting on a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is set to become mandatory from Friday, July 24.

Those who fail to comply with the new rules could be hit with fines of up to £100.

However, some south Cumbria disability groups argue the new requirements could negatively impact disabled residents who may rely, in part at least, on facial expressions as well as other non-verbal cues for inter-personal communication.

Millom resident Gaynor Tilby explained that: "As a deaf person who relies on lipreading I will be unable to lipread other shoppers who are permitted to wear face coverings.

"As someone who has a hearing dog to inform people of my deafness, I believe the wearing of face masks will make it difficult for deaf people to understand what's going on around them, making them more vulnerable in emergencies and more isolated," she said.

One in six UK adults (around 11 million) are thought to be suffering with some form of hearing loss.

It is estimated that the real figure - spanning all levels of hearing loss from mild to severe and profound - could much higher as it takes an average of five years for someone to seek help from a GP or audiologist.

"Many deaf people watch other's faces to understand what's going on around them. They will be more vulnerable to misunderstandings as you can't see facial expression.

"This new legislation scares the life out of me. I need to see people's mouths to be able to lipread.

"70 per cent of communication is non-verbal so if there's an emergency deaf people will be clueless, because we rely so much on what we see with not being able to hear what's going on around us."

Margaret Burrow, chief executive of the Barrow and District Disability Association, echoed Ms Tilby's concerns, saying: "It will certainly have an impact on the deaf community, as well as other groups with disabilities.

"People with severe asthma, CPOD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and other disabilities will find it a real problem to wear masks. In those cases, something like a visor would probably be more suitable or acceptable.

"I want to be clear that I'm not suggesting people should ignore the rules - which are obviously there to protect us. But a little bit of disability awareness would go a long way to make this difficult time more bearable for some of the most vulnerable people in our area.

"If the people who are able to try to help those who are marooned in their own homes currently, it could be a huge help."

However, Ms Tilby also pointed out that: "doing the shopping for a deaf person takes away some independence for them and makes them feel even more isolated if they don't need to shield.

"I am part of a few deaf forums on Facebook and the anxiety deaf people are feeling is really high.

"Many deaf people are having panic attacks, crying and feeling completely isolated when they are coming across people wearing masks and they cannot understand what has been said.

"Deaf people have said that going out is often the only form of communication with people if they live alone and the feeling is that they feel more in the isolation bubble than ever before."

She added that transparent or see-through perspex masks could be a solution for residents suffering with hearing loss or other disabilities: "We need the help of the government to make clear [see-through] masks available to all.

"This[, by comparison,] will not make the deaf community feel isolated, vulnerable and discriminated against."