A hospital which ran out of space to store bodies in its mortuary after 'an unprecedented number of deaths' resorted to leaving them in a refrigerated lorry parked next to a load of bins, it has emerged. Bosses at Queen's Hospital, Burton, Staffordshire, admitted they didn't tell relatives about the arrangement and a spokesman has claimed the use of a lorry is normal practice across the country. Bodies were transferred to the mortuary for viewings, then returned to the truck, according to one hospital worker. Temporary mortuary: The refrigerated lorry - where bodies were stored after the hospital ran out of space in its mortuary over the Easter weekend - parked outside Queen's Hospital in Burton, Staffordshire . Queen's Hospital in Staffordshire said it experienced an unprecedented number of deaths over the Easter weekend. Relatives were not told about the arrangement to use a refrigerated lorry as a temporary mortuary . The hospital said there were an unprecedented number of deaths over the Easter bank holiday weekend, with many undertakers closed during the four-day break. A hospital spokesman said families were not informed that their deceased relatives were kept in the refrigerated truck over the bank holiday period as it treated the temporary service as an extension of its fixed mortuary. Chief operating officer for Burton Hospitals Trust, Brendan Brown, defended the use of the lorry . Brendan Brown, chief operating officer for Burton Hospitals Trust, said that the temporary mortuary service adhered to the same robust standards and regulations as the normal mortuary. He said: 'Our priority is always patient care and ensuring that our patients and their relatives are treated with dignity and respect at all times. 'This approach extends to any essential contingency planning we may need to do as a trust, for example, the need to install temporary mortuary services when required, to help us increase capacity when faced with increased demand for those services. 'Putting the needs of patients and their families first was the basis for our decision to employ the use of temporary mortuary facilities.' Mr Brown added that the temporary facility was no longer on site as it was brought in only as and when required. A spokesman said the use of a refrigerated lorry was normal practice at hospitals across the country and, as most undertakers were closed on bank holidays, the hospital mortuary had filled up. A hospital employee said: 'Bodies were being viewed in the mortuary by relatives and then they were being transferred into this trailer and put on beds.'
Bosses admitted they didn't tell relatives about the arrangement . Hospital says it dealt with an unprecedented number of deaths over Easter . Spokesman: Use of refrigerated lorry is normal practice across the country .