Temporary mortuary at Birmingham Airport reopens

Work first started on adapting the hangar in March

A temporary mortuary has reopened at Birmingham Airport in a bid to ease pressure on hospitals after the recent rise in Covid-19 cases.

The facility, which can store up to 1,500 bodies, opened in April but closed in September as deaths from coronavirus reduced.

But as hospital admissions have risen again, officials have decided to reopen the hangar to help the NHS.

The decision will be reviewed on a weekly basis.

Birmingham has seen 2,244 Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began, 123 of them in the week up to 4 February - more than any other local authority area in England, although it is also the biggest.

The airport site will be used by eight local authorities in the West Midlands and Warwickshire, with support from Birmingham Airport, West Midlands Police and Warwickshire Police.

Birmingham and Solihull coroner Louise Hunt said: "I want to stress that dignity and respect for the deceased and the bereaved continues to be our primary consideration.

"The reopening of the temporary mortuary will not impact on our ability to provide the right level of service to all families and we remain focussed on the humanitarian and faith needs of all those involved."

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