NORTH-EAST health chiefs admitted last night that some bodies of people who died in hospitals could not be released for burial because of an administrative blunder.

Bodies needing a post-mortem examination at hospitals in Darlington, Bishop Auckland and Durham City will have to be kept in a mortuary until the problem is sorted out.

The embarrassing blunder happened because County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust - which runs Darlington Memorial Hospital, Bishop Auckland General Hospital and The University Hospital of North Durham - failed to apply for a licence from the Human Tissue Authority.

Last night, the south Durham coroner, Andrew Tweddle, described the situation as "very regrettable". He said it would inevitably cause delays.

The Northern Echo can also reveal that a number of other hospital trusts across the country are facing the same problem.

A spokesman for the Human Tissue Authority said the County Durham trust was one of a handful in England to have missed the February 28 final date for licence applications.

Officials from the trust, which also runs smaller hospitals in Chester-le-Street and Shotley Bridge, said they were making alternative arrangements to have urgent post-mortem examinations carried out at neighbouring hospitals, which have valid licences, until the matter can be resolved.

The trust apologised for any inconvenience the oversight might cause and the potential upset it could cause to families wishing to hold funerals but unable to go ahead.

Trust officials are now in discussion with the Human Tissue Authority to gain temporary registration.

Edmund Lovell, head of corporate affairs at the trust, said: "Due to an administrative error regarding the registration of our hospitals with the Human Tissue Authority, we are currently unable to carry out post-mortem examinations.

"We are in discussions with the Human Tissue Authority to gain temporary registration in the next few days.

"In the meantime, the trust is making alternative arrangements for a post-mortem service to be provided by our staff in neighbouring hospitals.

"We apologise for the potential upset it could cause to families of the deceased."

Mr Tweddle said: "My concern is that I want to do the very best I can for the bereaved and avoid unnecessary difficulties at what is a most distressing time."

A spokesperson for the Human Tissue Authority said: "Establishments are required under the Human Tissue Act 2004 to be licensed by the Human Tissue Authority to undertake postmortems.

"County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust contacted the Human Tissue Authority this week to inform us they have not yet applied for a licence and, as a result, we have had to take regulatory action.

"We can confirm that, as a result, they cannot conduct postmortems on their premises. We are waiting to receive their application and, as a responsive regulator, we will process this as rapidly as possible.

"In the meantime, we would expect the trust to make the necessary arrangements for carrying out post-mortems elsewhere, while causing minimal disruption to the families of the people who have died.

"There are a number of establishments in the vicinity with licences that permit the carrying out of post-mortems. A list of these is available on our website."

The Human Tissue Act regulates the removal, storage, use and disposal of human bodies, organs and tissues and was introduced after the organ-retention scandal at Liverpool's Alder Hey hospital.