Two years ago, Dayni suffered the sudden and unexpected loss of her mother, Janice. The shock of her passing was traumatic enough – but what followed made the grieving process even more unbearable.

Warning: this story contains details some readers may find upsetting

Dayni was in hospital when her mother died, so it was a few days before she could view the body.

“I just couldn’t believe what I saw,” Dayni recalled. “She just didn’t look like my mum at all. She was all pushed up, with marks all over her face. And she was bloated – really bloated.”

Janice’s body had been left in the care of a funeral director, and embalmed.

But something went terribly wrong.

“She was covered in blood, severely bloated to the point of bursting,” Dayni said. “She looked battered and bruised, like she’d been attacked. But she died in her sleep. She just looked awful.”

Desperate for help, Dayni asked another funeral director to step in and take over the care of her mother’s body.

But in hindsight, as Dayni has spent two years fighting for some kind of redress, this has only served to complicate the chain of responsibility.

As Janice’s body continued to deteriorate, it became increasingly difficult to determine who was responsible for the errors in caring for her.

Sky News has seen images of the condition of Janice’s body, which we are not publishing.

But the distress of seeing her mother in such a state had a profound effect on Dayni.

“I was devastated. I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking all sorts – had they just tossed her about like she was nothing? It’s horrible. It’s ruined my life.”

A broken system

The funeral sector in the UK remains entirely unregulated.

While trade bodies exist to uphold standards, they have little power to enforce them. And the penalties they can impose are minimal.

The most severe sanction available is expulsion – but this doesn’t prevent an expelled company from continuing to practice.

In Dayni’s case, one funeral director was investigated by their trade body, the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF), and found to have breached standards.

They were “reprimanded” – in essence, given a telling-off – but even still, they refused to acknowledge the findings or accept responsibility.

Instead, they commissioned a report from an independent embalmer, seen by Sky News, which points the finger of blame at the second funeral director.

The second funeral director could not be investigated at all by SAIF, because they aren’t a member, though they strenuously deny any wrongdoing.

No one has any overarching responsibility

The embalmer, who was self-employed, was also given a “severe reprimand” by her trade body, the British Institute of Embalmers, as well as a “strong recommendation” to seek further training.

She could not be reached for comment.

Absent of any regulation, nobody has any overarching responsibility.

Nobody is able to give Dayni a full picture of what happened to her mother, or conduct a thorough investigation, with appropriate penalties.

When approached for comment, both funeral directors denied any wrongdoing.

We asked both trade bodies whether they were, in essence, marking their own homework, and whether they felt the sector should be regulated.

The British Institute of Embalmers said: “We would certainly welcome structured regulation within the industry. The industry does really mark its own homework.”

A spokesperson for SAIF stated: “We don’t believe the industry is marking its own homework. SAIF’s standards framework is monitored by the UK Accreditation Service. We have long supported the call for regulation of the funeral sector.”

Calls for urgent reform

Recent high-profile cases have shone a light on the urgent need for change.

In 2022, the Fuller Inquiry was launched to investigate how David Fuller was able to commit sexual offences across mortuaries in Kent.

In an interim report issued at the end of last year its chair, Sir Jonathan Michael, called for urgent regulation of the funeral sector.

And last year, Legacy Funeral Directors in Hull came under police investigation following reports of bodies not being properly cared for.

In January, a file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider bringing criminal charges.

Lindesay Mace, of the charity Quaker Social Action, said: “Most funeral directors provide good care, but the lack of regulation means there are no mandatory training requirements, no particular standards for facilities, and no oversight of premises.”

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Perhaps most alarming is the absence of basic requirements such as refrigeration.

“There isn’t even a requirement to have cold storage facilities,” Lindesay explained. “Most people will find that completely unbelievable.”

Government response

The Ministry of Justice has acknowledged the concerns raised by grieving families and industry professionals alike.

In a statement, it confirmed it was “reviewing the full range of possible next steps… including looking at options for regulation.”

However, no concrete timeline has been provided.

In Scotland, the devolved government has already begun the process of regulation.

No answers, no accountability

For Dayni, the lack of regulation has left her without answers, or redress.

“When I looked into all of this and found out there were no regulations I couldn’t believe it. It’s just mind blowing. I just think it’s disgusting, and something needs to change.”

Grenfell Tower will be demolished, Angela Rayner has confirmed.

The demolition is expected to take “around two years” and be carried out “sensitively”, the government said.

The official announcement comes after the deputy prime minister met with campaigners to tell them of the decision on Wednesday evening – sparking an angry reaction.

Grenfell United has accused Ms Rayner of “ignoring” the voices of people who lost family in the fire in June 2017, which killed 72 people.

Read more: Grenfell Tower – what happens now?

The disaster was Britain’s deadliest residential fire since the Second World War and began a national reckoning over the safety and conditions of social housing and tower blocks.

There have been discussions over the years about how best to commemorate the tragedy.

Engineering experts have said that while the tower remains stable, and it is safe for people to live, work and study nearby, its condition will worsen over time and there is no realistic prospect of bringing it back into use.

In September last year, the public inquiry into Grenfell found “systematic dishonesty” of firms who made and sold cladding contributed to the horrific fire.

Why is Grenfell Tower being demolished?

In its announcement of the demolition, the government said Ms Rayner was told by engineers that the tower is “significantly damaged”.

While it “remains stable”, this is due to the supports put in place after the fire.

Engineers said it is also not “practicable” to keep many of the damaged storeys as part of a long-term memorial.

“Taking the engineering advice into account the deputy prime minister concluded that it would not be fair to keep some floors of the building that are significant to some families, whilst not being able to do so for others and knowing that, for some, this would be deeply upsetting,” the government said.

How will the demolition take place?

The government says it wants to take the next steps “respectfully and carefully”, with continued support for the community around Grenfell.

It said no changes will take place before the eighth anniversary of the fire in June this year.

The next step is to find someone to carry out the demolition.

A “specialist contractor” will be found to come up with a “detailed plan” for taking down the tower.

The government estimates it will take around two years to “sensitively take down the tower through a process of careful and sensitive progressive deconstruction that happens behind the wrapping”.

Any leftover materials from the tower and its surrounding communal areas can be carefully removed and then returned as part of any memorial, if the community so chooses, according to the government.

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Community reaction

Ahead of the decision being made publicly, Ms Rayner wrote to families, survivors and surrounding residents to tell them of the planned demolition.

The government says it has “prioritised” engaging with the community, and that Ms Rayner has been offering to speak with them and listen to their views for several months. The deputy prime minister also met with community groups, residents’ associations, schools and faith leaders.

These conversations have made it clear the tower “remains a sacred site” – however it is also clear “there is not a consensus about what should happen to it”.

The government said that for some the tower remains a “symbol of all they lost” and helps ensure “the tragedy is never forgotten and can act as a reminder of the need for justice and accountability”.

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The visibility of the tower also “helps some people continue to feel close to those they lost”.

But the announcement added that for some, the tower is a “painful reminder of what happened and is having a daily impact on some members of the community”.

There’s major travel disruption in Greater Manchester after a car smashed through a rail bridge and fell on the tracks.

The incident happened about 2am near Regent Road roundabout in Eccles, Salford.

A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and taken to hospital with injuries that aren’t believed to be serious.

No other vehicles were involved.

The road reopened at 7.30am and pictures later showed the car being lifted away, but rail firms said problems were likely for much of the day.

Network Rail’s page on the incident said no trains would run through Eccles until the line is cleared.

It means services between Newton-le-Willows / Wigan North Western and Manchester Oxford Road / Manchester Victoria will be cancelled, revised or diverted.

TransPennine Express services are not running between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria.

People going between those cities are advised to travel via Warrington Central instead.

Northern trains are also affected between Liverpool and Manchester Airport, and Chester and Leeds to Manchester Victoria.

Transport for Wales routes from Chester / Llandudno to Manchester Airport / Manchester Oxford Road are impacted, as are Holyhead to Manchester Airport services.

Replacement buses are running in some areas and tickets are being accepted on other services.

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A Network Rail spokesperson said engineers were “assessing the situation in order to repair the damaged cables as quickly as possible” but the line was likely to stay closed for most of the day.

They added: “We’re really sorry to any passengers affected by this incident and urge anyone planning to travel by train between Liverpool and Manchester to plan ahead and check with their train operator for the latest travel information.”