Funeral industry concern 'not limited' to Hull, says Government

The government says its concerns over the funeral industry are "not limited" to East Yorkshire, where a major police investigation is under way.

Legacy Independent Funeral Directors is being investigated over concern for care of the dead.

In March, officers recovered 35 bodies and ashes from the firm's Hull parlour.

In a letter sent to all councils, and seen by the BBC, leaders are warned the case could "affect public confidence in the funeral sector".

The letter was sent from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities and signed by courts and legal services minister Mike Freer MP and Simon Hoare MP, the local government minister.

They wrote: "Our concerns are not limited to Hull and East Riding.

"As the two Departments with responsibility for this area...we are concerned that this incident could affect public confidence in the funeral sector."

The ministers noted the industry was "largely unregulated".

They said "anyone can become a funeral director", adding trade bodies represent the majority of the sector.

In the long term, the government was "looking seriously at whether we should introduce formal regulation", the ministers said.

On Monday, a second funeral was held at Hull Minster for a great-grandmother whose body was one of the 35 recovered as part of the investigation into Legacy Independent Funeral Directors. Her family had originally given her a funeral with a cremation arranged through Legacy shortly after her death in October.

Several other families have been left questioning whether ashes given to them by Legacy were those of their relatives, with police admitting DNA cannot be extracted to prove their origin due to the temperatures involved in the cremation process.

The MoJ says it is "looking at options for regulation".

A spokesperson said: "In times of great personal loss, every family rightly expects their loved ones to be treated with dignity and respect.

"We are currently reviewing the funeral sector to ensure the highest standards are always met, including looking at options for regulation and will set out next steps in due course."

Meanwhile, the government needs the support of local authorities, the MPs said, to reassure the public that the funeral sector is "safe, professional and cares for loved ones in the way that we would all want".

Mr Freer and Mr Hoare highlighted checks made by Hull City Council and neighbouring East Riding of Yorkshire Council of all East Yorkshire funeral firms in light of the Humberside Police investigation into Legacy.

While not expecting councils to conduct "deep dive" inspections of funeral homes, the ministers said they would "welcome assurances" that officials had carried out visits to ensure "all is in order".

The letter goes on to state the government is planning two webinars, to be attended by council leaders and a "trusted" funeral director from each local authority area.

A 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position remain on bail as police inquiries continue.

Visit BBC Sounds for audio updates on this story

Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected]