Legacy funeral pair were arrested at Heathrow - police

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Heathrow AirportImage source, Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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A man and a woman were arrested at Heathrow Airport, says Humberside Police

A man and a woman at the centre of a major police probe surrounding a funeral directors were arrested at Heathrow Airport, the BBC can reveal.

Officers said a 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were arrested after returning from a trip on 9 March.

The arrests came after "concern for the care of the deceased" at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull.

In a statement, Humberside Police said the suspects, who were not identified, were "transported back to Humberside".

Image source, Kevin Shoesmith/BBC
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Floral tributes in front of Legacy's premises in Hessle Road, Hull

The pair were arrested on suspicion of prevention of a lawful and decent burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of position. They remain on police bail pending further investigations.

Previously, the force said it received a report on 6 March "expressing concern about the storage and management processes" relating to care of the deceased.

The force later confirmed 35 bodies and a quantity of ashes had been removed from Legacy's premises on Hessle Road in Hull.

Since then, some families who used Legacy have questioned whether ashes they were given are those of their relatives.

One grieving husband claims he was given what he was told were his wife's ashes only to discover that she had not been cremated until several weeks later.

On Thursday, Hull City Council added to calls for the funeral industry to be regulated in light of the allegations.

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