Des Lowther - who died on October 2. Friends are angry at a two-month wait for his funeral after public authorities didn't take responsibility. (Image: chroniclelive)

Friends of a Northumberland man who died two months ago but has spent that time in a hospital mortuary have hit out at the fact that no public authority has taken responsibility for his funeral. Des Lowther, 68, died of bowel cancer on October 2.

The former charity worker from Prudhoe had no next-of-kin - and friend Lisa Botto told ChronicleLive how upsetting it had been that no-one stepped up to pay for his funeral. She claimed that neither the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust nor Newcastle City Council had been willing to fund what is known as a "public health" funeral.

This is usually direct cremation. Now, two m

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