Image caption The woman's remains were being kept at a house in Kenmare, County Kerry

The body of an elderly woman taken from Gatwick airport by her son and driven unofficially to the Republic of Ireland is believed to be back in the UK.

It followed a warning by an Irish coroner that the woman's body could be confiscated and put in cold storage if her son did not organise a burial.

The woman, 91, died of natural causes on holiday in Malta in September.

She had been living with her son at a rented house in Kenmare, County Kerry.

Authorities believe that when she died, the man placed the coffin in a car and drove from Gatwick Airport to the Irish Republic, without declaring the body at customs.

Gardai were alerted about two weeks later when the woman's body was discovered by the man's landlord at his rented house in Kenmare.

It is believed the man kept his mother's remains for around six weeks.

He then fled with the corpse back to the UK after he was warned that he must bury his mother.

A Garda spokesman said local officers believed the man had now returned to England to bury his mother in the family plot.

"We believe he has returned to the south of England where the family burial plot is and a burial will take place if the body has not already been interred," a spokesman said.

The woman had been on the Mediterranean island when she became ill with pneumonia and died on 24 September.

'Cold storage'

Kerry South East coroner Terence Casey said he was contacted on 14 October and warned the man the next day through gardai that he deal with the body or it would be removed and placed in cold storage.

Mr Casey said the man previously told his landlord in Kenmare that he was leaving the house because his mother was not well.

"When the landlord went into the house approximately a week later, he discovered our man back in the house, who informed him that his mother died in Malta and that he was sorry but he was coming back to Ireland and wanted to live in the house again," the coroner said.

Mr Casey said he had added "that his mother was laid out in the bed upstairs if he wanted to go and pay his respects."

It is understood the man had enquired about trying to find a plot of land in the Kenmare area to bury her.

The county coroner said he also spoke with the man after he issued his warning, but he gave no indication of his plans.

"Basically I'd say he didn't realise how serious the matter was," Mr Casey said. "He said he'd do something about it but didn't tell me what he intended doing."

The coroner contacted officers on 18 October to check on the house.

"When gardai went out to the house they discovered he had gone and the body was gone. We haven't heard or seen anything since," Mr Casey said.

It is understood that Irish authorities do not believe the man has committed a criminal offence.