A Colchester community leader has called for a permanent memorial of the town's Covid victims to be created.

Adam Fox, Labour group leader at Colchester Borough Council, said the memorial, which would be created in Castle Park, should also honour the efforts of key workers and volunteers in the pandemic.

Colchester Labour is calling for a special fund to be established for the memorial and wants an event to be held to celebrate the contributions of community heroes in the last 18 months.

Mr Fox said: "We know that over 400 people in Colchester died of Covid and many more families will have lost relatives across the country since March 2020.

"Many people will not have been able to attend a funeral and commemorate the lives of their loved ones as they normally would.

"It is time for Colchester Borough Council to work with the local community to establish a permanent memorial in Colchester’s historic Castle Park."