Two brothers were ordered to move away from their grieving mother during their father's funeral at Crownhill Crematorium.
During the service of their late father Alan Wright on Friday (2/10), Craig and Paul moved their chairs to comfort their "vulnerable" mother Barbara during what they explained to be the "hardest day of their lives".
In a video that has recently surfaced, the duo can be seen shuffling their wooden chairs so that one sibling can put their arm around her.
But the service is suddenly interrupted when a funeral official approaches the family saying: "Sorry, sorry, you're going to have to put the chairs back I'm afraid. You can't move the chairs, you were told."
This video has since gone viral and the pair appeared on Good Morning Britain this morning (6/10) discussing the "heart breaking" incident. One of the brothers, Paul, told the nation: "That it was the hardest day of our life anyway and someone moving with that aggression, when all we wanted to do was comfort our mum at the hardest time."
People have since criticised the crematorium for the "cold" actions of its staff member with some adding that they were left "speechless".
Others have questioned the rule of six and how people can sit together, at a restaurant or pub for example, but not at a funeral.
Currently, social distancing restrictions mean that up to 30 people can currently attend funerals but social distancing rules must be strictly adhered to. This means that attendees must remain two metres apart from one another.
Milton Keynes Council has since responded to the criticism and has apologised to the Wright family. A spokesperson said: "We are sorry to have upset this family. We don’t usually step in if a guest needs to be comforted by another family member and in this instance should have taken a more considered approach.
"We ask funeral directors to let us know whether any chairs should be grouped in advance, and from now on this includes guests who are in the same household or bubbles, as well as people who need extra support.
"We hope this provides additional comfort at a difficult time."
