Temporary morgues opened to deal with backlog of bodies due to surging number of deaths as NHS struggles

Bodies are being stored in make-shift morgues to deal with a backlog of deaths over the winter months as the NHS struggles to cope and hospitals reach full capacity.

Temporary mortuary sites are being opened up across the UK in a bid to deal with increased demand following a deadly festive period.

Some sites which were erected to compensate for the number of Covid-19 deaths during the pandemic are now reopening their doors again.

Others installed include one at a council gritting yard in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and another at a former landfill site near a nature reserve in Wollaston, Northants.

It is estimated around 4,000 more Brits died than normal towards the end of the year - with a combination of flu, Covid and hospital and ambulance delays all blamed.

As a result, the refrigerated units - some which resemble shipping containers - are being used to cope with the current winter death rates.

The Royal Liverpool Hospital said it had opened two temporary mortuary systems to cope with increased deaths.

A spokesperson for Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “It is common practice for mortuaries to have purpose-built temporary systems available.

“This ensures that patients continue to be treated with dignity and respect, in facilities which are equivalent to a permanent mortuary, during periods of increased demand.

“Two of these systems, which meet standards set out by the Human Tissue Authority, have been deployed at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.”