Staff at a funeral directors in Enfield have been suspended after a person who was supposed to be cremated was buried.

The mix-up is believed to have happened when two coffins were placed next to each other at Co-operative Funeralcare in Hertford Road, Enfield.

Staff realised they had buried the wrong body when they came to do the second funeral, which was then postponed.

A spokesman for The Co-operative Funeralcare said: “Regrettably, we can confirm that as a result of human error the wrong deceased was buried at a cemetery in Enfield.

“We have apologised to those concerned and provided them with full details of the incident.

“We have strict policies and procedures which should be adhered to at all times and we take any lapse very seriously.

“We have launched an investigation into the matter and disciplinary action will be taken if it is deemed necessary.”

Two members of staff have been suspended while the investigation is carried out.