Appeal to trace relatives after man's death

An appeal has been made to trace relatives of a man who died in Wolverhampton so his funeral can be arranged.

John Lowe, 88, lived in the East Park area of the city.

City of Wolverhampton Council said it was making the appeal so relatives or friends could be "notified and be given the opportunity to get involved with the funeral arrangements, should they wish to".

It asked for family members, or anyone with information which could help trace them, to contact the council's Court of Protection team via email.

Figures from the Local Government Association and academic researchers show thousands of people die each year without relatives to organise a funeral.

When family cannot be traced, local authorities organise a simple ceremony with no-one present, known as a public health funeral.

The research suggested about 800 people a year have these funerals across the West Midlands region.

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