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| Shrewsbury baby ashes inquiry calls for national inspector of crematoriums | Shrewsbury baby ashes inquiry calls for national inspector of crematoriums |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A national inspector should be created for crematoriums, an inquiry has concluded after bereaved parents failed to receive their babies' ashes. | A national inspector should be created for crematoriums, an inquiry has concluded after bereaved parents failed to receive their babies' ashes. |
| At least 60 families are believed to have been affected by failures at Shrewsbury's Emstrey crematorium between 1996 and 2012. | At least 60 families are believed to have been affected by failures at Shrewsbury's Emstrey crematorium between 1996 and 2012. |
| The Shropshire Council-commissioned report said poor training and out-of-date equipment were mainly to blame. | The Shropshire Council-commissioned report said poor training and out-of-date equipment were mainly to blame. |
| There have been similar problems at other crematoriums. | There have been similar problems at other crematoriums. |
| David Jenkins, who led the independent inquiry, said he had been "struck by the absence of authoritative national guidance". | David Jenkins, who led the independent inquiry, said he had been "struck by the absence of authoritative national guidance". |
| 'Historic' failures | |
| He recommended the government appoint an independent inspector to oversee standards across England. | He recommended the government appoint an independent inspector to oversee standards across England. |
| Keith Barrow, leader of Shropshire Council, said he "would be shocked if this wasn't happening all over the country". | Keith Barrow, leader of Shropshire Council, said he "would be shocked if this wasn't happening all over the country". |
| Staff at Emstrey told the inquiry they were not aware babies' ashes could be recovered from the cremators. | Staff at Emstrey told the inquiry they were not aware babies' ashes could be recovered from the cremators. |
| Some said training did not cover the possibility of manually overriding the equipment, which the manufacturer has said would have provided infant ashes. | Some said training did not cover the possibility of manually overriding the equipment, which the manufacturer has said would have provided infant ashes. |
| The inquiry in Shrewsbury followed an investigation by BBC Radio Shropshire, which prompted a campaign by local parents under the Action for Ashes banner. | The inquiry in Shrewsbury followed an investigation by BBC Radio Shropshire, which prompted a campaign by local parents under the Action for Ashes banner. |
| It followed a similar investigation in Scotland after failures at the Mortonhall crematorium in Edinburgh. | |
| A Freedom of Information inquiry by the BBC last year found the ashes of more than 1,000 babies were not handed to their parents between 2008 and 2013. | |
| 'Felt like body snatching' | |
| Shropshire Council said since new equipment was installed in 2012, babies ashes had been recovered in all cases. | |
| Old equipment meant the small quantity of ashes resulting from a baby's cremation were lost in the system, as staff failed to manually override the cremators. | |
| The new equipment at Emstrey has a specific setting for cremating infants. | |
| Some parents told the inquiry that having even a "teaspoonful" of ashes would have helped them come to terms with the death of their babies. | |
| One said failing to hand over ashes "felt like body snatching". |