Bereaved families who waited for more than a year for an inquest to be opened into the death of a loved one have spoken of their distress.

Many families have had to wait months for inquests to even be administratively opened and years for them to be heard in full at West London’s Coroners Court in Fulham, in order for a death certificate to be issued.

Sally Seaman, whose son Alex died of a brain injury in September 2014 aged 21, has been told there must be an inquest into his death before the family is allowed to register it but still does not know when the case will be heard.

The midwife from Teddington, whose family has been supporting charity Brain Injury is Big since Alex suffered his injury in April 2011, said she has attempted to contact the coroner's court for information on many occasions but received no reply.

She said: "It is almost a year post-death now and it is very hard because you can’t get any closure.

"We have not heard anything back and have no information at all about when the inquest might be heard.

"I understand there is a backlog of cases at the coroner's court and that we will have to wait but it is just not hearing anything back that is the worst." 

The family of a greengrocer, who was found dead in his Mortlake flat in February 2013, had to wait until April this year to confirm Frank Chopping did not take his own life. 

Mr Chopping’s sister, Carole Swinburne, said having to wait so long to confirm that suicide could be ruled out had been enormously upsetting for the grieving family.

Senior coroner for West London Chinyere Inyama declined to comment on this story but did express his regret Mr Chopping’s case was not heard sooner and the family had to wait so long for closure during the April 27 inquest.