THERE have now been at least 51 coronavirus deaths in Brighton and Hove care homes.

The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveal the number of deaths recorded by each local authority registered up to May 22.

In total in Brighton and Hove, there have been 72 Covid-19 deaths in hospital, seven in hospices, five in “other communal establishments” and 51 in care homes.

Peter Kyle, MP for Hove and Portslade, said: “I feel huge sadness because these numbers in a spreadsheet are parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, who were hugely loved and snatched away by a terrible disease.

“Worst of all for me is that the vast majority of these would still be alive if a few straightforward measures had been taken at the beginning of the crisis.

“That’s the shame that our country will have to live with and Boris Johnson will have to answer for.”

The total number of deaths in care homes in the city since the beginning of the year is 284.

In Worthing, the total number of coronavirus deaths in care homes is 38. That figure is compared to the total number of deaths since the start of the year, which is 328.

In Hastings, there has not been a single Covid-19 related death registered in its care homes, according to ONS data.

That is compared with 140 total deaths in the homes since the start of the year.