Leeds City Council is to build a £800,000 temporary mortuary as part of emergency planning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Director of communities and environment at Leeds City Council  James Rogers said the decision was exempt for call-in, as ‘any unnecessary delay may severely impact on the city’s ability to deal with the anticipated increase in mortality rates as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak’.

The mortuary will be set up at Waterside Industrial Park in the Hunslet and Riverside ward, and work is expected to start on the site next week. The work will be carried out by Airedale Catering Equipment Ltd.