HAMPSHIRE Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has confirmed that there are no plans to build a temporary morgue in Basingstoke during the Covid-19 crisis.

Hospitals up and down the UK have been urged to prepare for a surge in patients affected by coronavirus.

Temporary morgues are in the process of being built across the country, including Salisbury District Hospital’s site, Birmingham airport, Swindon’s Great Western Hospital, Planet Ice in Milton Keynes, Breakspear crematorium in Ruislip, Middlesex, Aberdeen City Council depot and a potential industrial site in Trafford Park, in Manchester.

Salisbury Journal reported: “A temporary morgue, large enough to store 500 bodies, is in the process of being built on Salisbury District Hospital’s site.”

According to a spokesperson from Wiltshire Council: "In line with government guidance, the deceased will be stored at these facilities for up to 28 days, before being taken to cemeteries and crematoriums in Wiltshire and Swindon for burial or cremation.”

So far, 14 people are confirmed to have died after contracting Covid-19 at Hampshire's hospitals.

If you are a key worker or working on the frontline for the NHS, and wish to share your experience of coronavirus, you can speak to a reporter in confidence. Contact bethany.papworth@basingstokegazette.co.uk.