Coronavirus in London: 1,300-body mortuary opens

The mothballed mortuary at Breakspear Crematorium has been opened at a cost of about £3m

A temporary mortuary that can hold up to 1,300 bodies has been opened in Ruislip, west London, as the capital faces a growing coronavirus death toll.

London recently exceeded 10,000 Covid-related deaths, a figure mayor Sadiq Khan described as "heartbreaking".

Four temporary mortuary sites were set up in London during the first wave of coronavirus, but were put on standby.

The use of the Ruislip site has been called "a visual, sobering reminder" of the continuing cost of the pandemic.

Westminster City Council chief executive Stuart Love, who is leading the London-wide response, added: "We want to give people hope but we are not there yet.

"From my point of view, we have built this really hoping it doesn't get used to its capacity.

"This just re-emphasises the message of staying at home and looking after your loved ones."

Nearly 11,000 Londoners are known to have died with coronavirus, according to official figures

The Breakspear Crematorium facility, which is made up of tents with refrigeration units, is expected to receive bodies from Friday.

Officials say it will provide an extra 20% in capacity for public mortuaries in London.

The facility in Ruislip, which took over a week to construct, is the latest of a number of temporary mortuaries set up across the country.

Others include the former military hospital Headley Court in Leatherhead, Surrey, and an aircraft hangar at the former RAF Coltishall, near Norwich.

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