GRIEVING relatives across the region were last year forced to pay a total of more than £500,000 to release the bodies of loved ones for cremation, figures have revealed.

The Liberal Democrats have demanded the scrapping of the system, under which junior doctors pocket so-called “ash cash”, to spare people further trauma “at their most vulnerable” time.

However, any cutback in fees would be fiercely resisted by the doctors.

Under the little-known system, two doctors are required to certify that a body can be released for cremation – by filling in simple forms, typically taking about ten minutes to complete.

The task, involving a payment of £73.50, has long been considered one of the perks of the job, with junior doctors reportedly competing with each other to fill in the forms.

Freedom of Information responses to the Lib Dems have revealed that doctors across England received £14.7m in payments last year.

In the North-East and North Yorkshire, the biggest bill was at York Hospitals trust (£230,000), followed by Gateshead Health (£115,872), Scarborough and North- East Yorkshire (£69,438), Harrogate and District (£67,208), South Tyneside (£48,422) and South Tees Hospitals (£10,768).

However, the total – £541,708 – is likely to fall short of the true total, because four other hospitals did not respond, or said the information was not recorded.

Norman Lamb, the Lib Dem health spokesman, said: “This is a well-established practice, but you really can’t justify taking money off grieving relatives when this involves nothing beyond most doctors’ normal working hours.

“People are at their most vulnerable after the death of a loved one and the last thing they need is these extra charges. The Government must put an end to this practice as soon as possible.”

The doctors are required to confirm that the deceased had not been fitted with a pacemaker, which could explode during the cremation process.

The cost is not paid directly by the family to the doctor, but the doctor charges the funeral director who passes the cost on to the family.

The British Medical Association has also called for change, suggesting that fees should still be paid for death certification, but from a centralised fund.

A spokesman said: “This is another layer of bureaucracy at a difficult and emotional time.”