A grieving family paid their respects at a memorial garden for nine months before realising their loved-one’s ashes were still in storage.
The incident was revealed in the latest annual report on Scotland’s crematoriums.
The reports were ordered four years ago after the baby ashes scandal exposed disturbing problems in the way remains were treated and family members kept in the dark.
In the latest update, Robert Swanson, inspector of crematoria, welcomed a 100 per cent recovery of ashes and said overall performance was “good”.
But the report catalogued worrying mislabelling of ashes, mixed up identities and a damaged coffin.
In one case, ashes were kept at a crematorium for nine months, even though the family were led to believe they would be put in the garden of remembrance after a month.
“During that period family relatives visited the garden of remembrance to pay their respects, wrongly believing the ashes had been dispersed there,” the report adds.
“The crematorium accepted full responsibility for the incident and have since changed working practices to minimise the risk of recurrence.”
