A FAMILY say they have been left feeling ‘violated’ by the actions of a funeral service.

Lisa Hawkins says her family members have been left too upset to visit the grave of her younger sister, after Fred Hamer Funeral Services allowed someone else’s ashes to be buried with her earlier this year without their permission.

Her sister, Sharlene Godding, died in March and was buried at Tonge Cemetery — but her family found out three weeks later that another relative had asked for a further set of ashes to be buried with her. The Tonge Moor Road funeral service agreed without asking the family members who own the plot, where Ms Hawkins’ mother is also buried.

The 44-year-old said: “We know that the funeral service has to ask the owners of the plot about doing anything like this. They didn’t and if they had then we would not have agreed. This is not right. You should be able to trust these people. It makes you wonder what else could have happened with the funeral service that we don’t know about. We complained to the council and they were shocked.

“It feels like we have been violated. None of us have been to visit the grave recently because of what has happened, it is too upsetting for us.”

The Tonge Moor Road funeral directors later offered to exhume the body and remove the ashes, but the family did not want to do that because of the emotional trauma it would cause.

A spokesman for Fred Hamer Funeral Services said: “We are aware of the situation and continue supporting the family throughout.”