Decision pending on when coronor inquests will resume in Northamptonshire

The senior coroner for Northamptonshire is set to make a decision about when inquests will resume in Northamptonshire.

All inquests in the county were suspended in March at the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown until September at the earliest.

Now, the coroner is set to make a decision before the end of July about whether public hearings will resume.

In a statement in March, senior coroner for Northamptonshire Anne Pember said: "In view of the present Covid-19 situation, it is with regret that I need to inform you that all inquests listed between now and September 1, 2020, have been suspended until further notice.

"I will review the situation on July 31."

Inquests are held as formal hearings to determine the cause of a person's death in unusual circumstances.

It is not known if any inquests will be launched over deaths related to Covid-19, except for patients of psychiatric hospital, where any deaths automatically launch inquests.