A York MP is hoping the government backs her bid to stop a 700-body mortuary opening in the city.
Rachael Maskell described the issue as “distressing” and has taken her concerns to the Health Secretary.
Last month, Pure Cremation won planning permission to turn a building in Nether Poppleton’s Business Park into its main facility for the North East.
The mortuary, which would operate all day, every day, would take bodies collected from residences, care homes and hospices for storage before they are sent for cremation.
Bodies would arrive in private ambulances and be stored in racks five coffins high, before they are transported on to the company’s crematoriums or to third party facilities.
In the House of Commons, Ms Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central said: “This question comes with warnings of distressing content.
“When people die, we expect the deceased to receive the highest level of dignity prior to interment, but the lack of statutory regulation is resulting in a few engaging in poor practice.
“The Co-op funeral service and independent providers have raised significant concerns of a new model of low-cost cremations and mass storage facilities – as proposed by a new establishment in York, which could store 700 people – with evidence of poor practice, poor care and poor handling of the deceased within these facilities.
“Will the government meet me and funeral directors so that we can prevent the York site from operating and set high regulatory standards for services for the deceased?”
Objectors, to the planning application included funeral director Jordan Young, who said the proposals were absolutely appalling and would be detrimental to the care, dignity and safe treatment of the deceased.
Replying to Ms Maskell, Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Ministers will certainly be happy to meet her and her constituents on it.
“I am aware of and concerned about the issues she raises, and I do not think that families are being given the full information about some of these practices and provisions.
“This goes to the heart of why we need new regulation arrangements in place, so that everyone can have the confidence that their loved ones are being shown the respect and care that all of us would want for our families.”
We asked Pure Cremation for a response to the MP’s comments but have yet to hear back.
Its plans stated the facility would be tucked away in the corner of the business park and it would not be obvious from the outside what it was.
They added it would also support jobs in the wider funeral industry locally.
Pure Cremation’s plans stated: “The use is a low key, discreet operation, with occasional light traffic coming and going to the site throughout the course of the day, apart from peak times when even then the traffic flows are still modest.”