Dozens of grieving families have been shown the wrong body in morgues across the country, with a further 17 parents whose baby’s remains were disposed of without their knowledge, new figures reveal.

The Telegraph has obtained data from the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) which shows that more than 250 ‘serious incidents’ have been recorded in hospital morgues in the last three years. Of these cases, 159 include incidents where there was accidental damage to corpses and foetuses were “disposed” of against the express wishes of the family.

One mother who suffered a miscarriage said she was “shocked, heartbroken, angry and disgusted” by the data and called for the Department of Health to be held to account after promising an immediate ban in 2014 on the incineration of ‘foetal remains’.

The Freedom of Information data revealed that between 2016 and 2018, there was a total of 253 serious incidents. In total, there were 22 cases where the wrong body was either examined or viewed by grieving relatives, 27 cases where the wrong body was released to families, 98 cases of accidental damage to bodies and 17 cases where foetal remains were incinerated along with NHS waste, there was an undue delay in returning them to families or that the foetus was lost following delivery.