The Coronavirus Grant Fund – a one-off crisis payment of £500 per household to help those facing financial hardship due to the global pandemic – was launched on Thursday last week.

But the charity was overwhelmed with applications, having received 4,555 in just two working days since the fund launched.

While the grant scheme has been suspended, Turn2us said the team is currently going through the applications to reduce the backlog before re-opening the fund for applications.

It added that those who are in more vulnerable circumstances will be prioritised.

The charity can’t say exactly when the grant scheme will re-open, but added it is unlikely to be before the weekend.

When it does start accepting applications again, Turn2us confirmed the grant fund will still stand at £500 per household.

In total it has been able to award £38,000 in grants to those struggling to cover immediate basic household expenses.

Turn2us said that over a million people have come to the charity for financial support in the last three weeks alone.

“Our grants team are processing applications at record speed and our digital team are keeping the Benefits Calculator and Grants Search tools up-to-date every day,” it added.