H.M. Coroner's Service

The Coroners for the Shropshire, and Telford and Wrekin areas are:

• Mr J. P. Ellery – Senior Coroner
• Mr H. Westerman – Assistant Coroner
• Mrs J. M. Lees – Assistant Coroner.

View the contact details for the Coroner's Service

When should a death be reported to the Coroner:

• an accident or injury
• an industrial disease
• during a surgical operation
• before recovery from an anaesthetic
• if the cause of death is unknown
• death of a person under the age of 18.

If the death has to be reported to the Coroner, it cannot be registered, nor can the funeral take place, without the Coroner's authorisation.

Where a death is reported to the Coroner, the Coroner's Officer will contact the relatives. A Coroner can order a post-mortem examination without obtaining the relatives' permission. This examination will ascertain the cause of death.

The Coroner may also wish to hold an investigation into the circumstances leading up to a death (including an Inquest). When an Inquest is called, the Coroner's Office will contact the relatives and provide a copy of the Ministry of Justice guide to Coroners and Inquests, and the Charter for Coroner Services.

When an Inquest is to be held, the death cannot be registered until its conclusion, but a certificate of death can be issued on request to the family to allow the funeral to take place. When the inquest is complete, a certificate will be issued to the Registrar, who will then be able to register the death.

Visit the GOV.UK website for a guide to the Coroner Services

View the Shropshire Council website to access bereavement services

Last updated: 26/07/2022 15:37