Borough plans memorial to 518 victims of Covid

One of Britain’s worst Covid-hit boroughs is to build a permanent memorial to its 518 virus victims.

Blackburn with Darwen, in Lancashire, has had the second-worst cumulative Covid case rates in England – after Knowsley – with more than 52,000 of their 150,000 population having caught the virus.

Council leader Mohammed Khan said: “There’s no denying that the pandemic has changed our world. Our experiences over the last two years have inevitably shaped who we are now, both as individuals and as a local community.

“We want to create a lasting legacy in Blackburn with Darwen that recognises the impact of Covid.”