The SEC in Glasgow has been earmarked as a potential site for a temporary hospital to provide extra capacity during the coronavirus outbreak.

Military figures were seen at the event campus on Thursday as the Army confirmed the area is a possible location for an NHS field hospital.

An Army spokesman said: “We were on site to advise NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government on the potential for a NHS Scotland facility at the SEC.”

In a tweet, the Army said the Royal Engineers have been advising on a temporary NHS facility in Glasgow.

It said Army personnel are assisting the Scottish Government “planning, logistics, liaison and advisory tasks supporting the fight against Covid-19”.

Earlier Scotland’s chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, said several sites were being considered across the country as Scotland is “on the cusp of that rapid escalation” in Covid-19 cases.

The confirmation comes as the owners of a former factory in Inverclyde are offering it for use as an NHS field hospital.

The former IBM building near Greenock covers 65,000 sq ft.

Elsewhere, the military is assisting with the set up of a temporary NHS hospital at the ExCeL Centre in London able to treat up to 4,000 patients.