Grimsby mourners face fines for funerals that take too long

Mourners in Grimsby are to be slapped with a £159 fine if a funeral runs over time.

The council says it's been forced to look for new ways of raising funds because of budget pressures - and an increasing trend for funerals to over-run their slot.

In a report to council members, the assistant director of the environment department, Tony Neul, said as many as four funeral services were running over their 40-minute allocation every week.

"If a 9am service runs over by ten minutes then it would put back the remaining services on that day, which means every mourner attending a funeral will be kept waiting," he said.

"This can cause unnecessary distress at a very difficult time. He said funeral directors, clergy and celebrants are fully aware of the time frame involved in a service and are expected to keep to it."

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There's debate, though, not just about whether fines should be levied, but also about who should pay them. Some authorities fine funeral directors, for example.

Others believe that it's the person conducting the funeral that should receive the fine.

"We feel that if times are being abused it should be the officiant who should pay the fine. We organise the times and the music, but it is the minister or celebrant who is in charge of the service," a spokesman for the Association of North East Lincolnshire Funeral Directors told the Grimsby Telegraph.

"We can make arrangements if a vehicle breaks down. The minister can usually bring it round so we get back on time. There isn't usually any distress if a delay is explained to people properly."

There's an increasing trend for cash-strapped councils to introduce fines, with North Devon Crematorium hitting the headlines this time last year. Here, the fine is £147, payable by the funeral director.

Any fines will add to the increasing cost of a funeral - now averaging a whopping £8,427, up 10% on last year, according to the latest annual SunLife Cost of Dying report. And bereaved relatives are struggling to meet the cost, with thousands falling into debt.

One in seven who have organised a funeral in the past four years say the cost has been a problem. Four in ten of these people had to dip into savings or investments, a quarter borrowed money from friends and 22% had to use their credit cards.

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