Temporary morgue being built off Beddow Way, Aylesford by Kent County Council
18:23, 11 April 2020
updated: 18:38, 11 April 2020
This picture shows the saddest side of pandemic planning - a temporary morgue being built on an industrial estate.
Kent County Council (KCC) is creating the structure at back of its former county workshops in Beddow Way, Aylesford. It will hold up to 950 bodies, if it is called into use.
It could be one of three interim mortuaries which could be built in Kent, as the authority announced it was setting aside £11 million for the sites which, combined, could hold a total of 3,000 bodies.
The Aylesford morgue will essentially be a temporary place to hold bodies. It will not offer post-mortem tests and KCC said its plans were being progressed in a case of 'worst-case scenario' planning.
Work has been taking place for just under a week and KCC bosses predicted it would take around two weeks to get the facility ready.
A spokesman confirmed it would only be used if existing mortuary space around Kent becomes full, adding: "The priority will be to maintain dignity and respect for those who have lost their lives and consideration for the bereaved."
Security and privacy hoardings will be put in place.
The site is in the middle of several industrial units and is protected with security guards and Alsatian dogs. The area, which is off the main Forstal Road, towards Aylesford village, is a mix of car showrooms, vehicle workshops and smaller units.
Nearby, is Waitrose's regional distribution centre where the firm's lorries come and go during all hours taking products to its stores across the south-east and delivery firm FedEx also has a unit near the location of the morgue.
KCC's site is known as the Aylesford Highway Depot. It is also where a branch of highways maintenance firm, Amey - which provides services to KCC - is based.
This week the council said current mortuary capacity was deemed "insufficient" to deal with the forecast number of Covid-19 deaths across the county, including in Medway.
Work is likely to take place over the next 10 months to build the morgues.
Cllr Roger Gough (Con), the leader of KCC, said: "Our priority is to ensure that, at all times, there is dignity and respect for those who have lost their lives and consideration for the bereaved.
"Kent is not alone in the need to make appropriate preparations for increased mortuary demand and we have a statutory responsibility to take the lead in responding to the coronavirus outbreak here."
