A SPIKE in the number of coronavirus-related deaths reported over a 24-hour period has been recorded across East Lancashire.

The East Lancashire Hospitals Trust has reported ten new deaths to NHS England over the latest 24-hour period data is available for, new figures have revealed.

The total number of deaths to have occurred within hospitals run by the trust, including the Royal Blackburn Hospital, Burnley General Teaching Hospital, Clitheroe Community Hospital, Accrington Victoria and Pendle Community Hospital, stands at 129.

This is the highest number of recorded deaths the trust has seen for several days and where the most deaths were reported across the county of late.

As a whole, 22 new deaths were reported in Lancashire’s hospitals over the latest period.

Four of those were announced at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, two were at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust and five patients at facilities operated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust sadly died.

One death was reported by the Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHS trust.

The totals stand as follows:

East Lancashire Hospitals Trust: 129

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals: 131

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust: 149

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: 122

Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHS trust: 115

The total number of deaths across in hospitals across Lancashire now stands at 646 though the actual number is thought to be much higher.