THE Black Country Living Museum is set to close for six weeks in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

The popular Dudley museum will close from today, Wednesday, March 18, for an initial period of six weeks.

It is expected to reopen on May 1 but the decision will up for review, according to a museum spokesperson.

The museum will be closed to the public, including school groups.

A statement on the Black Country Living Museum website reads: "Following the latest advice from Government, we have made the very difficult decision to temporarily close Black Country Living Museum. The Museum will close to the public, including schools, from Wednesday 18 March for an initial period of six weeks until Friday 1 May.

"The welfare of our visitors, staff and community is of paramount importance to us. Therefore, we have decided to close the Museum so that we can play our part in helping to stop the spread of the virus and support the efforts of the NHS.

"We will keep the closure period under constant review and will take any further necessary action in response to Government advice as and when it is published. In the meantime, we are working to contact everyone who is likely to be affected by the closure, including event ticket holders and group bookers, so we ask that you bear with us during this time.