Allegations that grieving customers of Co-operative Funeralcare are being ‘cold-called' by the group's legal services division are being investigated by the Law Society.

Its wills and equity committee is looking into claims that the Co-operative's legal services department has been offering free advice about probate to recently bereaved families.

The Co-operative denies cold-calling, insisting that most customers are happy to receive free legal advice, and where this is not the case they can simply inform the funeral director.

Wills and equity committee committee chair, Helen Clarke, commented: “We have one example of a client who said they did not want legal advice being rung back and offered it. That's not acceptable.”

Tony Broadley Joint Managing Partner of Rowlands, said: “It is important to protect people when they are emotionally vulnerable. Losing a loved one means family members are not always in the best position to make important financial decisions and pressure should not be put on them in any shape or form.

“Over the years the Co-operative has put a huge effort into building a strong reputation for its principled approach to business across the gamut of its commercial activities, and it would be a great shame if this much-deserved and hard-won reputation was damaged.”