Wallasey A council sexton has been suspended after allegations that a funeral service buried the wrong man and a secret exhumation was carried out to replace the coffin with the correct one. The burial went ahead at Frankby Cemetery, Wirral, on December 12, despite it being noticed that the coffin bore the wrong details. The Rev Andrew Mannings, the vicar at St Mary’s Church, Wallasey, suggested there had been a “dreadful mistake” but undertakers assured him there was no mix-up. When staff at Cooperative Funeralcare realised their mistake they arranged to bring the correct coffin. The man who was supposed to be buried was interred that afternoon with no formal ceremony or family present. The other coffin was returned to the chapel of rest and its body was cremated as planned.

A funeral company spokesman admitted the error and said apologies had been made to both families. The sexton, employed by Wirral council to ensure legalities are observed, was suspended pending an inquiry.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Alex Rider exclusive: Incident in Nice
• Green & confused: do energy-saving bulbs work?
• Let’s skip lunch, say the hungry generation