Police probing missing cash claims at Scots funeral directors as family receives wrong ashes

Police have been called in to probe an undertaker over claims that money from funeral plans has gone missing.

Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie has received a string of complaints from constituents about A Milne Funeral Directors.

Several customers claim money for funeral finance plans has not been passed on to a third party provider.

Another claimed they received the wrong ashes after a cremation overseen by A Milne.

Undertaker Ashleigh Milne shut up shop in Dumbarton’s High Street last year but is believed to operate from a Glasgow branch being overseen by her dad, Steven.

But those who took out funeral plans through the firm fear payments were not passed to plan provider Golden Charter.

Liz Ruine, 70, has paid in more than £3100 since 2020. She said: “I heard rumours they were no longer in business and I thought I would phone to check.” She called Golden Charter but “they said they had nothing for me”.

Anne Gibson, 66, told how she repeatedly called Ashleigh Milne to hand over the ashes of her mum, Patricia Allison, who died aged 100 in 2023.

Last September, Milne handed over ashes she claimed were Patricia’s. Months later Anne discovered they were still in Clydebank Crematorium.

She claimed: “He (Steven Milne) hasn’t even paid the money to the crematorium for my mum’s cremation and that was a year ago. I want justice for my mum.”

Baillie said: “I have asked Police Scotland to investigate the practices of this funeral director and would urge anyone who has had difficulties with A Milne to contact my office.”

Golden Charter said Milne has never been an appointed representative of the firm although it did sell “a small number” of its plans – the last in 2021.

It has asked Milne to remove its logo from its website.

Yesterday, an employee at A Milne insisted the situation with the “wrong ashes” had “been resolved”.

A Police Scotland confirmed: “A report has been made and inquiries are at a very early stage.”

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