A DISTRAUGHT family have said they have been unable to grieve for their baby girl after they were let down by a Salisbury funeral director.

Jodie Lugg was left outraged by Co-op Funeral Services’ handling of her five-month-old niece’s cremation.

Freya Ellison died on November 9, of a suspected cot death.

The family began planning Freya’s funeral and decided to enlist the help of Co-op in Salisbury and met with a funeral arranger on November 22.

“I was there with my sister at the time as she was broken and couldn’t talk,” Mrs Lugg, of Richmond Crescent, Tidworth, said.

“When the woman came out the first thing she said was ‘I’m just here to get your signature’. She was very condescending. She wasn’t very professional and she even started crying herself.”

The family asked the funeral director if she could provide coffin prices but after days without contact, Jodie took it upon herself to contact the directors.

“We hadn’t heard anything by the following Monday so I called but I had to explain everything to someone else.”

According to Ms Lugg she was put through to a central phone number as the Salisbury office had turned off its phone due to staff illnesses.

“I had to explain the situation and go through the whole process again. And they kept saying about free coffins and times for free cremations but we weren’t after a free funeral, we needed guidance and support.”

Mrs Lugg said she then had to go through her niece’s death a further three times with staff in Southampton and Andover, and was never able to make contact with the Salisbury office.

“It is an extremely awful time for us. We haven’t been able to focus on our grief and I’ve had to contact the morgue and the crematorium myself as we haven’t had the help of the funeral directors.”

The family have said that Freya’s body wasn’t released to Co-op funeral directors, and they have now sought the help of IN Newman and feel “completely at ease”.

Jack Walsh, head of operations for Co-op Funeralcare West, said: “There is nothing more devastating than losing a baby, and providing the very best care and support to families through such a loss is always our upmost priority. We are so sorry to the Cunnington family for their loss, and we are incredibly disappointed that we let them down by not progressing their funeral arrangements at such an awfully sad time. Due to staff sickness and a consequent breakdown in communication, they did not receive the continuity of care and high standards of service and support that we pride ourselves on.’’