Two Chester funeral directors have called for greater accountability in the funeral industry after a former Hull funeral boss was jailed for 20 years.

On 31 July, Robert Bush was sentenced at Hull Crown Court after admitting 67 offences, including failing to provide a decent and proper burial for 30 people and giving bereaved families the ashes of strangers.

The case has prompted Shannon Harty and Catherine Harty Anderson, co-owners of Harty's of Chester, to highlight the need for greater accountability and professional standards across the funeral industry.

The pair, who run the Handbridge-based funeral directors, said the case had shown that a funeral home can appear professional to families while serious failings are taking place behind closed doors.

They said: "Funeral directing remains a profession that is still not fully regulated. We have never believed that simply saying, 'trust us,' is enough."

Harty's is a licensed funeral director and a member of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF), whose members are required to follow its code of practice and are subject to ongoing inspections. The business is also licensed and financially regulated.

For funeral directors in England and Wales, there is currently no single statutory system specifically licensing and inspecting every funeral director. Trade organisations including SAIF operate voluntary standards for their members

The Department of Health and Social Care has since announced plans to develop proposals for the formal regulation of funeral directors, with the aim of providing "better protection for bereaved families".

It said it would also work with other government departments to tackle poor practice and "rogue operators" within the funeral industry.

In their statement, Catherine and Shannon said professional standards and regulation were important, but above all, funeral directors must never lose sight of the dignity and respect owed to every person in their care.

They said: "Every person who comes into our care is someone's mum, dad, husband, wife, son, daughter or friend. Every person in our care has lived a life, has a story and is deeply loved by someone.

"We never lose sight of that. Our responsibility is to care for them with the same dignity, respect and compassion we would expect for our own family."

Harty's also encouraged people to ask questions when choosing a funeral director, including checking professional memberships and seeking recommendations from others in their community.

They said: "A reputation isn't built by what funeral directors say about themselves, it's built by what families say about them when they no longer need them."

The pair said they hoped the case would lead to a future where all funeral directors were held to the same standards.

"We hope the day comes when every funeral director is held to the same high standards and licensing becomes the norm, not the exception," they added.

"Until then, we will continue to go the extra mile, not because we have to, but because we believe it's the right thing to do."

SAIF provides an online directory where people can check whether a funeral director is a current member of the organisation and find out more about the standards its members are expected to follow. You can find it here.