A Hull funeral director has spoken out on what it is like to operate during the coronavirus lockdown.

Government restrictions mean that no more than 10 people can gather at funerals and social distancing needs to be maintained.

There has also been a shortage of PPE for funeral directors, who each have to use at least five masks during the process of picking up loved ones from families homes to bringing them back to base.

Becky Horton, of Hortons Funeral Directors in Spring Bank West, says that the worst part of the changes made to funeral services during lockdown is not being able to be tactile with families in their time of grief.

"We are a family business and we want to help families so much and it is just second nature to want to be close to them and help them during their time of grief," said Mrs Horton, who is also the spokesperson for the Local Resilience Forum for the Humber.

"I'm a tactile person and I want to put my arm on someone during the service, but obviously we are not allowed to due to social distancing.

Becky Horton

"In the industry we are still trying to do everything we can to keep things as normal as possible for families, and thankfully in Hull, Haltemprice and Chanterlands crematoriums are providing live streaming so that families and friends can also watch.

"We are also providing a memorial service free of charge when lockdown is over to do something bigger with everyone - family and friends - all there who were unable to attend.

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"We are lucky in Hull though that the services can still go ahead, as in other areas not too far away such as York, Leeds and Bradford, all services have been stopped.

"It is the most horrendous time when someone passes away and not being able to have a service is just awful."

Mrs Horton says that the funeral home have taken in people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus, but as there is no current at-home testing in place, some people have to be presumed as dying of coronavirus at times to ensure the safety of funeral staff and family.

When funeral staff pick up the person who has sadly died from coronavirus, they need to wear PPE, and also need to mask the person who has passed away, as it is not yet known how long it can take to continue to spread.

It has also been hard for funeral directors to get hold of PPE.

Becky Horton of Hortons Funeral Directors, Spring Bank West, Hull

"We are all struggling to get hold of PPE at the moment - it is a massive problem and a worry as to where our next lot is coming from - what we have bought has been at a huge cost, as our supplier's supplier have upped their costs," said Mrs Horton.

"In the last four weeks, we must have spent between £1,000 to £2,000 in PPE, but it is completely necessary, as when we are entering people's homes, we need to protect them and us.

"Sometimes we know that the person who has died has passed away due to Covid, but as there is no community testing, sometimes we have to treat them as dying of that and also put masks on them.

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"There are no firm statistics as to how long the dead can carry the virus - some say there is no risk as soon as they pass, others say four hours and others say 72 hours.

"There needs to be some clearer guidance."

Even though the coronavirus pandemic has claimed many lives nationally, with the  death toll reaching 66 in Hull and East Yorkshire.

But even though deaths are sadly on the rise, Mrs Horton says that the levels of deaths that her funeral directors is facing is the same as any winter flu outbreak.