Figures show the toll of ‘one of the worst public health failures’ on Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex as new covid report is released

The data show in Crawley there were 227 deaths where Covid was written on the death certificate, as of 24 September 2021.

In Horsham there were 258 and in Mid Sussex there were 371.

The first major report on the Covid-19 pandemic revealed that serious errors at the hands of the Government and scientific advisors cost lives during the Covid-19.

The inquiry by MPs has described the UK’s failure to do more to stop Covid spreading early in the pandemic as one of the worst ever public health failures.

The findings arrive in the long-awaited 151-page report from the Health and Social Care Committee and the Science and Technology Committee, which contain MPs from all parties.

A Government spokesman said lessons would be learned, which was why there would be a full public inquiry next year.

He added: “We have never shied away from taking quick and decisive action to save lives and protect our NHS, including introducing restrictions and lockdowns.

“Thanks to a collective national effort, we avoided NHS services becoming overwhelmed.”

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said of the report: “This is a damning report by a cross-party group of MPs into the monumental errors made by ministers in responding to the pandemic.”

A Government spokesman said: “Throughout the pandemic we have been guided by scientific and medical experts and we never shied away from taking quick and decisive action to save lives and protect our NHS, including introducing restrictions and lockdowns.

“Thanks to a collective national effort, we avoided NHS services becoming overwhelmed and our phenomenal vaccination programme has built a wall of defence, with over 24.3 million infections prevented and more than 130,000 lives saved so far.

“As the Prime Minister has said, we are committed to learning lessons from the pandemic and have committed to holding a full public inquiry in spring.”