A WOMAN has endured fresh heartache in the battle to get her brother cremated, more than seven weeks after he died.

Lucy Dawson is considering legal action as she struggles to overcome international red tape.

Her brother, Robert Banks, died in South Africa from a suspected heart attack, aged 65, on March 10. He emigrated there 35 years ago, but remained a British citizen.

A family friend, Doreen Henderson, agreed to take care of the funeral arrangements in Johannesburg on behalf of his only living relative, Mrs Dawson, of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

But despite emailing a letter of consent, undertakers wanted Mrs Dawson to sign an official form before agreeing to allow Mrs Henderson to act for her.

After the intervention of The Northern Echo, undertakers agreed to accept the letter as proof of authorisation and Mrs Dawson was told her brother would be cremated yesterday.

But at the time the funeral was to take place, Mrs Dawson was contacted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to say it had not gone ahead.

Mrs Dawson, 59, said: "The undertaker said he is not prepared to cremate him until he gets the money up front, but why couldn't they have told me that before?"

Mrs Dawson, who has signed and returned the official consent form as a precaution, said she was prepared to pay the £535 by cheque, but did not know how long it would take to reach South Africa.

She said: "I am going to write the cheque out, even though it will leave me with nothing, but I don't give a monkey's.

"How many more obstacles am I going to come up against? I'm so mad and I'm so upset."

Mrs Dawson said she was looking into the possibility of taking legal action.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman confirmed it had sent Mrs Dawson a list of solicitors.

Undertaker Henning Griesel said he did not want to speak to The Northern Echo about the funeral arrangements.