Families fear loved ones' bodies 'were in mortuary when they were given ashes'

11 March 2024 , 22:18

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Officers at Legacy's branch in Hessle Road, Hull (Image: Donna Clifford/Hull Daily Mail)

Hundreds of grieving families fear they may have received the wrong ashes as police stepped up a probe into a funeral parlour.

Officers, including forensic staff, returned in numbers on Monday to scour premises linked to Legacy Independent Funeral Directors. Some 34 bodies have so far been removed and taken to a nearby mortuary for identification.

Police took action after reports of concern for care of the deceased. Locals claimed funeral directors told grieving relatives their loved ones had been cremated when their bodies remained in the mortuary. A hotline set up last Friday has been called by over 350 people.

Firm director Robert Bush

One woman believes her mum’s urn may not contain her real ashes. She posted: “I’m thinking about opening it to see if anything is in it.” A widow is also said to be fearing that her late husband’s ashes, which she turned into diamond jewellery for her family, may not be his.

Meanwhile, another victim said: “I am convinced they lost my mum’s ashes.” Legacy also handled arrangements for her dad a year earlier and the woman claims his body was left in a non-refrigerated viewing room for over two weeks. She claimed her mother’s ashes weighed less than her father’s and he was smaller than her.

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One woman said she was getting panic attacks after using the firm in 2021 when her partner died in his 60s. She said: “It took them ages for the ashes to be given to me. When we eventually got them he handed them over in a see-through bag in a box. We’d paid for an urn. It could be the wrong ashes.”

Also waiting for news was a granddaughter, who said: “This has caused so much harm and pain.” Another man said: “My dad’s funeral was 10 years ago. We are wondering if he actually got cremated. I got some ashes but now I am not sure they were his.”

And one man told The Mirror: “All families that ever had any dealings with this company are worried.” Legacy has three branches and is owned by Robert James Bush, who is listed as a director.

Police received a report last Wednesday of concerns about “storage and management processes”. They arrested a man, 46, and woman, 23, on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, and fraud. Sources say the parlour was targeted after an undercover sting.

The family who run it were said to be in the US when police arrived. Neighbours described them as pleasant and respectable. Legacy Funeral Directors were approached for comment.

Lucy Thornton