DARREN Potter, who is slowly dying of lung cancer, has lost four of his close family to the Covid-19 coronavirus in the last year.

Mr Potter, 46, is mourning his father, John, 75, his Aunty June, 81, and his uncles David Sharp, 62, and Johnny Sharp, who was in his 70s.

“Last year started off quite badly. It has just been one thing after another,” said Mr Potter, of Jacob Way, Warminster.

“The first to go was June, who died at the end of March, followed by dad at the beginning of April.

“My uncle David died in January, to be followed eight days later by Uncle Johnny.

“It has been a very emotional year. We haven’t been able to grieve properly.

“My dad had two negative tests, one before he died and the second came back negative after he passed away.

“The day before he was taken into Salisbury District Hospital with breathing problems he had visited the Codford surgery.”

Mr Potter said his father and two uncles all had underlying health problems.

“Dad had a heart attack and a stroke some years ago and had caught pneumonia several times. David had lung cancer, the same as me, while Johnny was diabetic.”

None of the family had been in contact with one another before they died. June had been living at the Buckland Court nursing home in Amesbury.

His mother, Mary, 68, who lives in Steeple Langford, said the disease has had a devastating effect on the family.

“I can’t put it into words, the way things have happened is just awful. The virus can hit anyone, at any time, at any age. I want people to realise that they need to heed to whatever they’re asked to do.”

Her sister-in-law June died after having tested positive for the virus.

“They took her into hospital because she had a fall and hit her head.

“If she had Covid before or if she caught it in hospital,” Mrs Potter said.

Not long after June’s death, Mary’s husband John fell ill too.

Initially, she thought he had contracted pneumonia but during their self-isolation, John’s breathing started to get worse.

“I phoned 111 and they sent an ambulance, they believed he had Covid and took him to hospital, that’s the last I saw of him,” she said.

Before moving to Steeple Langford, John, who was born and raised in Chitterne, had lived in Upavon for many years with Mary, Darren and Sarah.