The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Funeral firm break-in was ‘disturbing’
The owner of a Fife funeral directors says he is “disturbed” after a break-in at his mortuary at midnight on Hogmanay.
Colin Sneddon, owner of Colin Sneddon Funeral Directors in Cowdenbeath, has been left baffled after criminals broke into his property but took nothing.
The break-in occurred just as the bells began on the final day of 2021, with local residents calling the police after the mortuary’s alarms began blaring.
According to the undertaker, the trespassers had to force their way through two locks at the premises on Station Road to make it into the mortuary, which was empty at the time.
He said: “I got a phone call from the police at about 12.30am, saying the mortuary had been broken into.
“Whoever did it must have broken through the main door and then smashed the padlock to get into the mortuary itself.
“They didn’t take anything; they didn’t steal anything from the office.
“The alarm went off at dead on 12am, just as the bells were happening.
“A resident who lives nearby heard it going off and called the police – they were down by 12.10am.”
The absence of any theft has left Colin unsure of the trespassers’ motivations for the break-in, which has “shocked” him.
“I don’t understand it,” he said. “It’s pretty disturbing.
“I’m shocked that anyone would stoop that low, breaking into a mortuary.
“I’m just thankful that there were no deceased inside at the time.”
The business owner says that he and his team will now be reviewing ways to improve their security in light of the bizarre incident.
Mr Sneddon added: “Even though we’ve got these padlocks and alarms and everything, I am going to have to look at security.
“It’s definitely not how we wanted to start off our New Year.”
“I’m just thankful that there were no deceased inside at the time