A council has apologised after members of a grieving family were forced to stop comforting each other during a funeral.

Footage from the Crownhill Crematorium in Milton Keynes revealed two mourners moving their chairs closer and embracing a weeping woman at her husband’s funeral – one of whom was her son.

A suited and masked man is then seen striding into the frame and ordering them to move away from each other.

The son told the MK Citizen: “We are absolutely heartbroken… I can sit in a restaurant, I can sit in a pub, I can live at her house, I can travel in a limousine to the crematorium with six (people).

“But when I want to give my mum a cuddle at dad’s funeral, a man flies out mid service shouting stop the service and makes us split.

“It scared my daughter and shocked everyone in the room… It was a devastating day made even worse.”

A spokesperson for Milton Keynes Council told HuffPost UK: “We are sorry to have upset this family. 

“We don’t usually step in if a guest needs to be comforted by another family member and in this instance should have taken a more considered approach. 

“We ask funeral directors to let us know whether any chairs should be grouped in advance, and from now on this includes guests who are in the same household or bubbles, as well as people who need extra support. We hope this provides additional comfort at a difficult time.”