A BEREAVED woman has spoken of her "disgust" after her mother's body was sent to Leeds for cremation without her consent.

Doreen Wilson, 53, of Bishopthorpe, York, said the pain of losing her mum had been made worse because the family had thought she was cremated in York after her funeral service - but the coffin was taken to Leeds without them knowing.

The Evening Press reported last week Monday how families were unable to have their loved ones cremated in York while work was carried out on the crematorium's furnaces.

Myra Evans was 77 and had lived in York for 48 years. Now her daughter is plagued by questions about what happened to her mum's body.

"We still don't know what happened to her," said Doreen. "Was she taken over to Leeds on her own, or just shoved in a van with some more? It's not a very dignified exit if she was just shoved in a van with other people.

"It's horrible to think what might have happened.

"We thought she'd been cremated here in Bishopthorpe once the curtains had closed at the crematorium. She lived here for a long time and that's why we wanted her cremated here."

Doreen had no idea anything was wrong when the funeral service was held in York on March 14.

The following Saturday she collected her mother's ashes because she wanted to scatter them in Whitby. But an envelope on the urn said the cremation had taken place in Rawdon.

She said: "I wasn't with it at the time because I was upset. Tears were streaming down my cheeks.

"I thought maybe the crematorium at York was called Rawdon, but it wasn't until I saw the Evening Press that it clicked.

"We didn't know anything about it.

"I'm disgusted that we weren't informed."

A spokesman for Co-operative Funeral Service in Cromwell Road, who organised the funeral, said the error had been an "oversight".

He said: "There have been problems at York Crematorium that have meant it has not always been possible to carry out cremations there.

"Our funeral directors have been explaining this to people. If that didn't happen on this occasion then we apologise.

"But for the mourners nothing would have been different.

"The service was still carried out at York and the ashes were brought back there.

"Unfortunately, in this case, it was necessary to carry out the actual cremation in Leeds.

"If this family wasn't informed it was an oversight, but in most cases where problems arose the families were informed."

Work to reline the cremators in York began almost three weeks ago.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said alternative arrangements had been made.

She said: "All the funeral directors were notified that cremations would have to take place in Leeds and they were made aware that they must notify the bereaved families and get their consent."

Updated: 09:41 Monday, April 03, 2006