Temporary Dundee morgue closed

A temporary Dundee mortuary, opened at the peak of coronavirus fears in the city, stored two bodies before closing.

The speedily-built facility at the city’s Technology Park, opened as a precautionary measure in case other mortuaries were overrun.

A similar facility set up on the Inveralmond Industrial Estate in Perth closed earlier this summer.

The team staffing the site, drawn from council construction and administration teams, has also been stood down.

The 135-capacity morgue was put together in only a few days amid fears that undertakers, police and hospitals “would become overwhelmed if infection rates were not sufficiently controlled”.

During its period of operation, the facility received two bodies that were stored “for short periods” before being returned to funeral directors.

It is understood at least one of the bodies was placed there due to very limited storage space at a city undertaker, rather than a spike in Dundee deaths from the virus.

The facility was declared ready three days ahead of schedule and ahead of the projected peak of the virus.

A Perth and Kinross spokeswoman said: “The mortuary facility was available for use from mid-April 2020 and was subsequently placed on stand-by as the funeral directors were able to manage the increase in death rates at their own premises.

“Contingency plans are however in place across Tayside for temporary storage, should the pandemic cause a future increase in death rates.”

The morgue was at the Technology Park in Dundee.