A woman was kept waiting for almost two months after her mother was cremated before she could bury her ashes - and had to go to a separate funeral director.

Ann Malone, 62, went to Austin, Davis and Son in Bounces Road, Edmonton, following the death of her 81-year-old mum, Joy Duke, on May 7.

The Enfield woman claims that while the cremation went smoothly, her calls went unanswered when she tried to arrange the interment of her mum’s ashes in her dad’s grave.

Despite the £6,033 invoice from Austin, Davis and Son having been paid, Ms Malone claims after almost two months she was left with no choice but to find a different funeral director.

When contacted by Enfield Independent, a spokesperson for Austin, Davis and Son, said the original dates Ms Malone had requested for the burial were unavailable.

They added that they offered to rearrange the interment of the ashes but by then Ms Malone had already contacted a different company.

Ms Malone said that following her mum’s cremation on May 24 she asked if Austin, Davis and Son could carry out the burial on June 26 or July 3.

She claims that when she had not heard back, she called again on June 20.

Ms Malone said that she left a series of voicemails over the ensuing weeks, before eventually deciding to contact another funeral directors in mid-July.

She said: “I went to another undertaker because it was crucifying me that I hadn’t fulfilled my mum and dad’s wishes.”

Ms Malone says she believes that around £1,049 worth of services were never provided by Austin, Davis and Son.

The Enfield Independent has seen an email from Enfield Council’s finance department, which was managing Ms Malone’s mum’s finances at the time of her death, confirming the invoice was paid in full.

Although she had to pay herself for the internment to be carried out by a different funeral directors, Ms Malone claimed that her main complaint “is not about the money”.

She said she just wanted to ensure that nobody else is “put through” what she has experienced.

Ms Malone added that she approached this newspaper as a last resort after police and trading standards said they could not help her.

On Google, Austin, Davis and Sons has a 4.7 star rating, with most reviewers giving five stars.

One review from nine months ago said: “Highly recommend Austin, Davis & Son, they offer a bespoke service that is inclusive, for all needs. Extremely professional and deliver the highest of care.”

The three reviews left in the last six months either graded the funeral directors one or two stars.

A spokesperson for Austin, Davis and Son said that some of the most recent reviews are “malicious” and from fake customers.

Under two of these reviews a response from the funeral directors' owner can be seen apologising for “the negative experience”.

When contacted about Ms Malone’s complaint, a spokesperson for Austin, Davis and Son said: “The dates that were required by the family were unavailable and we offered to arrange the interment of the ashes on a different date, but the family had already been contacted by another funeral director to arrange the interment.”