“We did not explain to the public that this was the delicate balancing act – we’ve reduced the likelihood of getting an ambulance but we’ve increased the response teams to pick up bodies in people’s homes.’ The adviser added: ‘The cremations were carried out in these very fast slots, running at weekends, running late into the night. A lot of concessions were struck with both Islam and the Church of England to just rush the bodies through, get them out, get them buried.”