You may be aware of some police activity at a funeral parlour in Preston and we wanted to provide you with an update.

Earlier this month we were contacted in relation to concerns about some of the practices at Martins Funeral Directors and this morning (Tuesday, April 28^th) we carried out warrants at three addresses in Preston and Longridge as part of our enquiries.

Officers have carried out thorough searches of the addresses, accompanied by a public health inspector, and we have not found anything untoward in respect of the treatment or storage of peoples’ loved ones.

Our investigation is continuing but is focused solely on potential financial irregularities relating to the business. Our ongoing enquiries will not impact on the business continuing to provide funeral services at this time.

Two people, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 50s, both from Preston, were arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation and are currently in custody.

We appreciate that reading about this may cause concern, but we wanted to provide some context and reassure you about the nature of our investigation.

If you have any concerns please follow the link below.