Lancashire NHS workers honour colleagues across UK who have lost their lives in pandemic

The county's NHS staff stepped outside its hospitals and clinics in a show of sombre solidarity, as Britain paid tribute to those who have died in the frontline.

At 11am, the county fell silent as Britain paused for a minute in tribute to the sacrifice made by those in roles ranging from doctors and nurses to carers, cleaners, porters and bus drivers.

Nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers and support staff came together outside Blackpool Victoria Hospital and Royal Preston Hospital to remember those colleagues who have died whilst caring for more than 150,000 people across the UK, including 3,000 in Lancashire, who have tested positive since the outbreak began.

More than 100 NHS staff and other healthcare workers have now died from the virus, including four members of staff at Wigan Infirmary.

VIDEO: Staff, family, friends and the public pay tribute to four lost Covid-19 Wigan health workers.

Karen Partington, chief executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: "Today is a very moving day and an opportunity for all of us to come together as a community to pay tribute to the frontline staff who have lost their lives, not just in our country, but across the world.

"And today was an opportunity to show them our gratitude and to show that we care very much about them.

"We recognise that there lots of people in our community who have lost somebody and today, I think we all thought about those we have lost."

A total of 24,243 deaths due to coronavirus have now been recorded in hospitals across the UK, as well as 4,343 pensioners who have died in care homes in the last two weeks.