HUNDREDS of mourners were asked to remember "the bond of love" between a mother and her 11-year-old son who fell to their deaths from a viaduct.

Friends and relatives yesterday attended the funerals of Helen Rogan, 38, and her autistic son, Mark Owen Young, at Mounsett Crematorium, Dipton, County Durham.

The Reverend David Beazley, who conducted the service, asked those attending to celebrate two "beautiful lives" lost in tragic circumstances.

Miss Rogan and Mark, of Robinson Street, Blackhill, Consett, fell 180ft to their deaths from the town's Hownsgill Viaduct, on September 17. A series of heart-rending notes were later found by police at the family home.

Her family had spoken of her devotion to Mark, as well as the difficulties she often experienced in trying to cope with his condition.

The Rev Beazley, a family friend, said: "We can be sure that what Helen did, she did with the deepest love for her son.

"For her, that love was deeper than death. We cannot know what was in her mind but we can presume she believed it was not an ending but a beginning. We need not reject that belief."

He urged mourners, who packed the chapel of rest, to "remember something of the struggles and the bond of love between them" before addressing their untimely deaths.

A pop song, chosen by their family, I'm Like a Bird, by Nelly Furtado, was also played at the service.

Miss Rogan, a qualified occupational therapist, gave up her job to look after Mark about seven years ago after her marriage break-up.

County Durham Social Services, which maintains mother and son were receiving an appropriate level of care, have now announced an independently chaired investigation.

The findings of the inquiry, into how a number of agencies dealt with their needs, will be made public in two months.