Temporary mortuary set up in Wiltshire Council gritting yard

Wiltshire Council's High Post salt store is being used to "accommodate an increase in need"

A council gritting yard is being used as a temporary mortuary because the hospital site has reached its capacity.

A refrigeration unit has been set up at Wiltshire Council's High Post salt store, by the A345, near Salisbury.

Salisbury District Hospital said it had opened the additional mortuary to "accommodate an increase in need".

It was first used on 4 January and will remain open for as long as extra capacity is needed, with round-the-clock security on site, it added.

"The last time we used temporary storage facilities such as this was in February 2021 during the pandemic and the storage facility was at Salisbury District Hospital," the council said.

The mortuary at Salisbury District Hospital is at full capacity

A Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson added: "Our mortuary service operates to the national standards treating the deceased and loved ones with dignity and respect at all times regardless of location.

"All our additional capacity provides privacy and has 24/7 security."

The site will be used as a temporary mortuary for as long as extra capacity is required

The High Post Salt Store is owned by Wiltshire Council, and leader Richard Clewer said the site was "private and an appropriate location to provide this facility".

"We are supporting our partners at Salisbury District Hospital during this period of extreme pressure for the NHS.

"Our staff are specially trained to work in a professional and proper manner, and behave respectfully and sensitively at all times," he added.

Figures published earlier in the week showed that more than 650,000 deaths were registered in the UK in 2022 - 9% more than in 2019.

It represents one of the largest excess death levels outside the pandemic in 50 years.