Family Accuses Co-Op Funeral Home of Failing to Care for Father's Body
A devastated Scottish family has come forward with shocking allegations against Co-Op Funeralcare, claiming the company "robbed" them of their chance to say a proper goodbye to their beloved father by leaving his body to decompose for nearly two weeks without basic preparation.
Traumatic Experience After Sudden Death
Kevin Fairfield, a 65-year-old retired HGV driver from Rosyth, near Dunfermline, died unexpectedly at home on July 21, 2024, after suffering a heart attack. His children—Keiron, Kev (38), and Kali Hope (34)—rushed to be with him, only to begin what they describe as a "traumatic" experience with the funeral home recommended by police at the scene.
The family says their suspicions began immediately when they claim a Co-Op employee initially refused to collect Mr. Fairfield's body because it was a Sunday afternoon, a situation they allege only changed when a police officer intervened. Co-Op denies this version of events, stating they would "never" refuse to collect a deceased person.
Body Left Without Basic Care
In the days following their father's death, the family grew increasingly concerned as they received minimal information about when they could visit him in a chapel of rest. By August 2—thirteen days after his death—they arranged to transfer Mr. Fairfield to independent funeral directors Callum Robertson.
When workers from the new firm arrived, they reportedly found Co-Op staff hurriedly cleaning Mr. Fairfield's body, which they described as "severely decomposed." He had not been embalmed despite family requests, had no coffin, and was still wearing the clothes he died in, despite the family providing a suit days earlier.
"They witnessed them cleaning dad's body, so essentially doing the first clean 13 days after he'd been gone into their care," said son Kev Fairfield. Daughter Kali added: "He'd lain in those clothes from the Sunday until the Friday after, in the clothes he passed away in."
Denied Final Goodbye
The decomposition was so advanced that the new funeral directors advised against viewing the body, leaving the family feeling completely "robbed of their goodbyes." They discovered multiple discrepancies in Co-Op's records, including listing Mr. Fairfield as 6'2" when he was actually 5'8".
The family eventually received a five-figure out-of-court settlement from Co-Op, but the emotional damage persists. Several family members have required NHS counselling, with Kev noting: "There's a lot of mental health issues that have been exacerbated because of this."
Calls for Industry Reform
The Fairfield family is now advocating for stricter regulation of the funeral industry, which they claim allows directors to "mark their own homework." In Scotland, new laws now require funeral homes to join trade associations, while the UK government is reviewing regulation in England following several scandals.
When the family attempted to file a complaint with the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), they were told the association couldn't investigate because they had paid the final bill to the non-member firm that handled the actual funeral. An NAFD spokesperson explained their dispute resolution service wasn't applicable in this circumstance.
Company Response and Apology
A Co-Op Funeralcare spokesperson told the Mirror they had apologized for a "procedural error" and were "confident that Mr. Fairfield was treated with the utmost dignity and respect during his time in our care." The company stated they had taken internal actions to prevent recurrence and provided the family with a detailed timeline of their investigation findings.
Kali Hope summarized the family's position: "Nobody deserves to be treated the way that he was. If something can come of it, and that's all we want, we'd take that as a kind of victory for us after being through all this—that nobody else has to go through it."
