The grieving parents of meningitis victim Mitchell Kemp say they were barred from viewing their son's body for four days before his burial.

Distressed Sally and Roger Kemp claim funeral directors said there was a risk of infection.

They have since discovered the health authority and the National Meningitis Trust class the infection risk as minimal.

Now they are calling for the policies on infection control to be clarified.

Both the meningitis trust and the health authority say there is no basis for not allowing relatives to view the body, nor for it not to be embalmed - although the ultimate decision rests with individual funeral directors and embalmers.

Mr and Mrs Kemp are not the first parents to have their grief compounded by the confusion.

Earlier this year the family of 22-year-old Vange victim, Stuart Wood, were distraught when they were told his body would not be embalmed.

Mitchell's mother, Sally, said: "It is a delicate subject and it could be other parents might have suffered in silence. We want to bring it out into the open so that others in the future do not have to go through this."

Mitchell's coffin was sealed four days before his funeral at Basildon Crematorium chapel last month. The 14-year-old Benfleet school pupil, of Tyefields, Pitsea, died within four hours of arriving at Basildon Hospital.

His body was taken to S Carter and Son's premises in London Road, Wickford, two days later, and the following day Mr and Mrs Kemp went to see their son.

Mrs Kemp said: "They told us Mitchell was considered a high risk and that they were going to seal the coffin the next day.

"We went along with it. We did not know until afterwards he was only a low risk and that the guidelines stated he could be viewed."

Funeral directors Carters declined to comment.

Tragic - Mitchell Kemp

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