Bereaved families of "shocking" Elkin & Bell funeral case call for urgent regulation of the sector after "unspeakable horrors"

Richard Elkin and Hayley Bell were jailed for four years last month after it was found they had kept 46 bodies in unrefrigerated conditions across an 18-month period at their premises on Nobes Avenue.

The “shocking” case has highlighted the lack of regulation in the funeral sector with no minimum standards to set up a parlour or qualifications required for practitioners.

Gosport MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage, has secured a debate in the House of Commons today (March 9) where she is expected to call for full licensing regime of funeral directors, regular inspections, and minimum qualifications, as well as a clear plan from Government for how to deliver this.

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The families of some of Elkin & Bell’s victims have spoken out in support of more stringent regulations following the turmoil they have been put through.

Corrine Boulton’s deceased son was in the care of Elkin and Bell in July 2023 when they falsified the dates of his time there.

She said: “When our baby was born and died, we entrusted him to Elkin and Bell to care for him on our behalf. Unbeknownst to us the funeral industry isn’t regulated and unspeakable horrors can and do happen to our loved ones.

“This has to change - everyone in the industry needs to be held to the high standards of dignity for the deceased that we expect.”

Elkin & Bell Funeral Directors was shut on December 10, 2023 after bailiffs entered the building to find an elderly gentlemen in a badly decomposed condition.

Used coffins, broken windows and a lack of refrigeration was found at the premises. It was also found that Elkin and Bell had forged its certificate of funeral directing, had received a number of county court judgements and was in debt.

After a trial, which concluded in December 2025, the pair were found guilty of preventing lawful burial, intentionally causing a public nuisance and fraud at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Jamie Williams entrusted the care of his deceased mother to Elkin and Bell and has called for a change to the laws to prevent the “awful crimes” being committed in the future.

Jamie said: “My mum was the victim of an unregulated and outdated system that does not protect our loved ones when they are at their most vulnerable. It’s unthinkable that anyone could be a Funeral Director, even without something as simple as a DBS check.

“I don’t want anyone to go through what my family has, the feeling of letting your mum down. Regulation cannot come soon enough, as well as sentencing guidelines to ensure that the sentence fits the awful crimes committed.”

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Gosport MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said: “This is the most shocking case I have had to deal with as an MP.

“Regulation is imperative if we are going to restore trust in this industry. I was speechless when I first found out that anyone can set up a funeral directors. You could do it in your front room if you wanted and it would be perfectly legal. That situation has to change.

“Since Elkin and Bell have been sentenced I can speak publicly and loudly about this issue. I’m calling for a range of measures to make sure this never happens again and, if it does, that justice is delivered swiftly and proportionately.”