Two people have been sacked after the wrong body was cremated at a crematorium in Birtley.
It has emerged that staff working for Co-Op Funeral care at Birtley in Gateshead mixed up bodies, and took the wrong one to a cremation service.
The mistake wasn't picked up until it was too late, and one family subsequently had to have a funeral without the body of their relative.
Two people have since been dismissed and a full investigation into the incident, which happened last month, is now underway.
Watch the full report from Kenny Toal below.
Two funeral workers have been sacked from Co-operative Funeral care for cremating the wrong body.
The mix-up saw staff place the wrong body in a coffin and send it to Birtley Crematorium in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
Grieving friends and family, who thought they were saying their final goodbyes to someone they loved, were actually saying farewell to a complete stranger.
Co-operative Funeralcare have apologised to the family, and sacked the two workers involved. A spokesman said:
A serious breach of our strict procedures occurred and following a thorough investigation two members of staff have been dismissed.
Once the issue came to light, we immediately notified the families concerned and apologised for any distress caused and we have liaised closely with the crematoria. We remain in close contact with the families.
An investigation is underway after the wrong body was cremated during a service at Birtley crematorium.
Two people have been sacked by Co-operative Funeralcare after they found that they had breached procedures.
Co-operative Funeralcare have issued the following statement after it came to light that the wrong body had been cremated at a service at Birtley crematorium last month.
Two people have been sacked.
– Spokesperson for Co-operative Funeralcare“A serious breach of our strict procedures occurred and following a thorough investigation two members of staff have been dismissed.
Once the issue came to light, we immediately notified the families concerned and apologised for any distress caused and we have liaised closely with the crematoria.
We remain in close contact with the families.
In the interests of client confidentiality we are unable to comment further.”
Co-Operative Funeralcare has admitted cremating the wrong body at a service held in Gateshead last month.
It meant that a second family had to attend a service without their relative's body at all after the company made the mistake at Birtley Crematorium.
The Co-Op says that it has sacked two members of staff, after finding that they had breached procedures.