Walsall funeral firm bosses hit out over claims bodies kept in corridor

The Sun carried an article claiming that coffins at the Walsall branch of Midcounties Co-operative Funeralcare were being stacked in a dingy corridor next to a bicycle and an old Christmas tree.

The firm's boss has hit out at the claims, accusing the paper of giving a 'completely false' impression of how it operates. Company chief executive Ben Reid said he was 'upset' by the article.

A photograph shows three coffins stacked on shelving beside storage boxes, a mountain bike and Christmas tree, and 'a source' is quoted as saying: "The way they treat the dead is absolutely scandalous."

A customer whose 74-year-old father's body was kept at the home awaiting his funeral said she was 'sickened' to hear how the deceased were being stored.

But the firm said it was 'highly unlikely' that there were bodies in the caskets. The source of the story is believed to be a disgruntled former employee who took the photo and provided the newspaper with contact details of recent customers.

Mr Reid said: "We need to apologise to our customers for the distress this story could cause them. We are the largest funeral home company in Walsall and, as such, have touched a lot of families, and some will have read this story and wondered 'I wonder what happened to my mum when she was there'.

"We have been in touch with the customer who is quoted in the article and she was not complaining about us and in fact gave us 10 out of 10 for our handling of her father's funeral. She was approached by the paper and brought into the issue.

"I took over in Walsall 28 years ago and I was determined that we deliver the best quality service in Walsall and I really can't allow those standards to slip.

"I went straight over there on an unannounced visit yesterday at 8am before the team arrived to see what it was like and I can honestly say that if a member of my family was there I would be very content. I found no bad practice."

He said the two missing ceiling tiles in the Sun photograph had already been replaced and the room was also being freshly painted. He insisted that the bike and Christmas tree should not have been in the room and had since been removed.

He said: "This article will make people ask the question about how their loved ones were treated and I'm upset about that. If there are any areas where we can improve, I will explore them but the suggestion that we dump people in corridors I find really difficult to accept."

He said the shelving in the photograph was usually used to stack empty coffins. The firm has asked a regulator from the National Association of Funeral Directors to visit the Hatherton Street home for an independent assessment.