THESE pictures show progress being made on the new mortuary at Sussex University.

The morgue will store the remains of 300 people who die having tested positive for coronavirus.

It has been sited in the car park in the grounds of the University of Sussex in Falmer.

Building lorries have been spotted on the site today.

More units are likely to arrive there next week.

The Argus:

Two other mortuaries will be built in county.

They will more than double capacity to cope with the rising Sussex death toll as it reaches 256.

There will also be spaces for 230 bodies at Worthing Hospital and 290 spaces at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester.

The Argus:

These are expected to be installed early next week.

This will increase the county’s total capacity by 820 to 1,463.

Dave Miller, chairman of the Sussex Resilience Forum (SRF), said he understood the announcement would be upsetting for many.

>> SEE ALSO: Temporary mortuaries to be installed in Sussex

He said: “Whilst the picture for the worst-case scenario changes on a daily basis and will also be determined in part by the success of the lockdown measures in Sussex, we are expecting to deal with a rise in the number of deaths during the peak period that will take us beyond existing resource for this time of year.”

The Argus:

The mortuary at the university will comprise four units. It is being supplied by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and will be arriving on the university’s grounds tomorrow.

It is in addition to current storage on the site which is managed by Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

The university’s total capacity will increase to 430.

Two more units, each with 75 spaces, are likely to arrive next week.

The Argus:

The units will be “discreetly situated” in a space in the grounds and will be shielded from public sight as much as possible to ensure privacy and reduce distress.

Speaking about the work being undertaken, Mr Miller said it was crucial that duties continued to be fulfilled during the pandemic and that reassurance was given to bereaved families, providers of funeral services and the NHS.

He said: “I know this is something we don’t want to think about, but like every LRF (local resilience forum) area in the country, we are dealing with the effects of coronavirus and part of that is to make provision for additional mortuary capacity. We continue to hope for the best, but plan for the worst, which we know the public would expect us to do.”

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal. Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund