Hit about two weeks ago, it was almost like a flick of a switch, and it suddenly turned very, very busy.

There's been a lot of COV deaths on the phone hasn't stopped ringing.

Union and Sons usually arranges about 10 funerals a day during the winter.

Now it's doing 15 or 16, with dozens more bodies awaiting collection from hospital and care homes.

We're exhausted.

We really are exhausted.

And it was only last night my wife was telling me, You need toe, Relax.

You needed to almost take some time out, but then I can't take time out.

There's no time to take out at the moment, you know, So it's taking its toll.

But again, I'm just so proud of.

It's not just out.

It's not just our firm.

It's the whole funeral industry, because people you know they do.

They see the funeral industry, and it's a bit of a taboo topic.

But what we're doing is we're very much front line.

We're going out and seeing families every day.

During the pandemics first wave last spring, Union said it took a week and a half to arrange a funeral.

Now families have to wait four or five weeks as mortuary and registry staff struggled to process the sheer volume of deaths.

Stafford Funeral homes play vital roles in the battle against the pandemic, but often get less recognition than doctors and nurses.

From Bama Mary Evans, clad in PPE, the gravity of the job is not lost on her on.

I think going forward is very important for somebody to take it by and see their loved one at rest.

Looking is peaceful as they can as union prepares for the 130 funerals booked for this month, including nine double funerals of husbands and wives who die around the same time, he hopes the human cost of the virus isn't for gotten.

They're not numbers, you know, and you know, we've all done it was sitting there watching the news, and we'll talk about how many people has now died.