After England entered a third lockdown, Big Issue sellers in Staffordshire found themselves in a "dire predicament" - they were no longer permitted to sell the magazine due to the restrictions.

There are currently around 350 people selling Big Issue North, and vendors are based in Biddulph and Leek, as well as many other locations around Staffordshire.

Vendors are self-employed, buying the magazines from the Big Issue offices for £1.50 before selling them to the public for £3.

his means that they are not eligible for furlough, and as they cannot work from home, hundreds of homeless and vulnerably housed people now find themselves without a source of desperately needed income.

During the first lockdown, Big Issue frontline staff paid out a total of £500 each day to support vendors' cost of living, from rent and bills for those in their own accommodation to essential shopping and transport.

This time, the magazine says it is expecting to pay out even more, after an influx of new vendors when the first lockdown was lifted, and the bitter cold is also expected to lead to an increased need for help with accommodation and bills. The magazine estimates that it will need £10,000 to support all of its vendors through this period of lockdown.

With this in mind, Big Issue has outlined five ways that local residents can help to support them through lockdown. Find out how below:

1. Make a donation to the hardship fund, providing everything vendors need to survive the weeks ahead, by texting HARDSHIP to 70970 to give £5, donating online or scanning the QR code.

1. Continue to buy Big Issue North either in Sainsbury's (including online), Co-Op, McColl's or Booths, or online. Half the cost of each magazine will go directly to the hardship fund, with the rest covering production costs.

1. Subscribe to Big Issue North, either by purchasing a three, six or twelve month subscription package, or by taking out a weekly direct debit.

1. Shop at the official Big Issue North online shop. The top product is the new quarterly subscription magazine, The New Issue, which contains real stories and photography combined with high-quality independent writing, covering everything from changing landscapes and social issues to lifestyle and fiction.

1. Buy a mask, with £1 from every sale going to the Big Issue North hardship fund.