funeral director

While an apprentice, Ms James said she had built up contacts by meeting funeral directors across Somerset and now ran her own business.

"Aimee had to go up the street and find who owned the car that was parked while Philomena was in the back of the funeral director's car, waiting to come home to rest," he said.

Dr Shaw also said evidence of identification in the case had been provided by a funeral director who was also a friend of Jay’s family.

Plans for ashes left over from cremations are also part of the proposal, with the commission alleging that funeral directors posses "hundreds of thousands of sets of ashes which have not been collected".

An above-ground vault could be built to hold ashes discovered at the premises of a Hull funeral directors, officials have said.