Baby to be buried after 21 years

The council said it would be covering the costs of burying the baby

The body of a four-month-old baby boy that has been lying in a London mortuary since 1987 is finally going to be buried, against his parents' wishes.

Doctors said Christopher Blum died of sudden infant death syndrome, also called cot death, but his father claimed he died of blood poisoning.

Steve Blum refused to sign the death certificate but Enfield Council will now use new powers to bury the baby.

The council said after 21 years Christopher needed to be laid to rest.

The baby was given a routine vaccination at North Middlesex Hospital, which Mr Blum believes may have contributed to his death.

'Son's headstone'

The remains of the baby have been kept in a mortuary in north London.

The council has now received authorisation by the Registrar General to formally register his death and as a result he was registered formally dead two weeks ago.

An Enfield Council spokesman said the council had kept Christopher's parents informed.

My son did suffer from blood poisoning... I just didn't want to put my name to something I knew wasn't true Steve Blum

"We recognise that this is a difficult and sensitive matter for Mr Blum. However, after 21 years we believe that Christopher now needs to be laid to rest.

"We have followed the correct procedure obtaining the consent of the Registrar General to register the death of Baby Blum."

The spokesman said Mr Blum had also been asked to let the council know his wishes in relation to where his son should be buried, and what he would like written on his son's headstone.

Mr Blum is believed to be considering legal action against the council.

He told BBC Five Live: "They want to put 'cot death' on there and I know from my own investigations it's not the correct cause of death.

"My son did suffer from blood poisoning. I just didn't want to put my name to something I knew wasn't true.

"We'd been in touch with the council, but I haven't received any letter yet.

"And as for a burial, we did pay for a funeral back in 1987. We only stopped the funeral when they changed their mind. They said, at the beginning, he did die from blood poisoning."

The council said it would be covering the costs of burying the baby at one of two sites in north London but no date had been set yet for the funeral.

A spokesperson for the council said the the law allows burials to be carried out without the death certificate being signed by a living relative, under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953.