Grieving families are having to wait up to four weeks to lay loved ones to rest.

Funeral directors, registrars and others in the funeral business are under pressure to meet demand after a huge increase in the amount of deaths.

Between January 5 and 9, Kent Registration Services’ Maidstone office dealt with 155 separate registrations, while colleagues in the Tunbridge Wells office dealt with 125.

Although these figures are for both deaths and births, spokesman Alyn Thomas confirmed the vast majority were deaths.

Across the county there were 884 registrations during the same week – 169 more than for the same period in 2008.

Mr Thomas said the service had increased the number of appointments available to meet this demand.

Funeral director Jason Maiden, of Doves Funeral Directors, which has branches across the county including Maidstone, Staplehurst and Larkfield, said families were waiting up to four weeks for a prime time funeral slot and those in the funeral profession were working at full capacity to meet demand.

He said: “Bereaved families are having to wait what must be an unbearable duration to lay to rest their loved ones.

“The funeral is a vital part of the grieving process. It enables families to both celebrate the life of their loved one and continue with the next step of the grieving process.”

Mr Maiden said his company had been forced to rehire a retired funeral director, hire additional funeral cars and look to crematoriums outside the area just to meet demand.

A spokeswoman for Vinters Park Crematorium, Maidstone, said there were some early morning slots available but these often proved unsuitable for families.

There appears to be no single reason for the rise in deaths this year, with no reports of any particular epidemics in the area.

However, a Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said its hospitals had been coping with huge pressures, particularly on emergency services, over the past few weeks.

He said: “We have been treating unprecedented large numbers of very sick patients, often with respiratory illnesses.

“We have also had high levels of staff sickness caused by the flu and other virus infections circulating in the community. The cold weather has also added to the pressures.”

Paul Coles, chief executive of Age Concern, Maidstone, said it was important that older people took care of themselves during the winter months.

He said: “We advise people to take advantage of the free flu jab and contact their gas or electricity supplier to check they are on the social tariff. They should also block draughts in their homes.”

Mr Coles also advised that people should keep a flask of warm drink by the bed, wear layers of clothing and let people know when they are going out and when they would be back, if going out in icy conditions.

He added: “Anyone who is cutting back on basics such as food and heating because they’re concerned about high energy bills should call our free phone helpline on 0800 009966 or contact their local Age Concern to find out what extra benefits they may be entitled to.”

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