Colin Ainscough Assistant Editor

Today our team has been at the site of the new Nightingale Surge Hub at Royal Preston Hospital as construction begins.

The two new wards, which are being built in response to the Omicron variant, will house 150 Covid patients.

The largest new ward, the steel-framed Nightingale Surge Hub, is being erected on the visitor car park near the front entrance and will have beds for up to 100 patients.

The scenes show dozens of workmen and forklifts handling huge girders as they begin piecing it together.

You can take a look at the first stages here.

Aimee Seddon will also be spending much of the day at the site and will be sharing more details later today.

In the meantime, here is the rest of the day's news.

Take care

Colin