Grieving families forced to wait as crematorium struggles to keep up with demand

Families left waiting up to three weeks for loved ones' ashes after crematorium overwhelmed by demand

Lancing-based crematorium says it is experiencing 'unprecedented demand' and is doing all it can to reduce waiting times

Grieving families are being forced to wait an average of three weeks to receive their loved one's ashes after a surge in demand overwhelmed a crematorium in West Sussex.

Lancing-based crematorium is experiencing "unprecedented demand" that this publication understands is partly due to a backlog at another crematorium in the area.

The crematorium says it is doing all it can to reduce waiting times, but grieving families say the delays are "heartbreaking".

One family, who asked not to be named, said they had been waiting over three weeks for the ashes of their loved one.

"It's heartbreaking," the family member said. "We just want to be able to say goodbye properly and lay our loved one to rest."

A spokesperson for Lancing crematorium said: "We are aware that there are delays in the return of ashes to bereaved families and we offer our sincere apologies for any distress this is causing."

"We are experiencing unprecedented demand for our services at the moment, which is partly due to a backlog at another crematorium in the area."

"We are doing all we can to reduce waiting times and we are working closely with our colleagues at the other crematorium to resolve the backlog."

"We understand that this is a difficult time for grieving families and we are doing everything we can to support them during this process."

According to the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), the average waiting time for a cremation in the UK is around two weeks.

However, the NAFD warns that waiting times can vary depending on the crematorium and the time of year.

The NAFD advises grieving families to contact their local crematorium directly to find out the current waiting times.