A TEMPORARY morgue for up to 1,000 people is set to be built at BAE Systems Warton site so Lancashire can cope with any spike in deaths as a result of the coronavirus outbreak

The £1.8million mortuary will take eight days to build and is expected to be ready to receive its first bodies by the end of the month.

The morgue at BAE Systems military aircraft factory and aerodrome in Fylde near Blackpool has been commissioned in preparation for 'a potential increase' in demand for mortuary space across the region.

It will be used by all for bodies from the whole of Lancashire, including from Blackburn with Darwen Borough, and has been developed to ensure that deceased people are treated with dignity amid any increase in their numbers.

Use of the site has been given free by BAE Systems,

Lancashire County Council leader Cllr Geoff Driver hopes the temporary mortuary will never be used.

He said:  “It’s vital that we are prepared in order to ensure the deceased are treated decently and with respect.

“We are very grateful for the support we have received from BAE Systems, who have provided this site and access to utilities free of charge to support the people of Lancashire and help us to deal with this crisis.”

The project has been co-ordinated by the Lancashire Resilience Forum, in charge of public service emergency planning for Covid-19 pandemic.

Neil Shaw, chief executive of Rossendale Borough Council and lead for excess death planning for the LRF, said: “We have to plan for all contingencies as part of our county’s response to the coronavirus pandemic – and, sadly, some of the plans we must make are around how we handle an anticipated increase in deaths."