The Adath Yisroel Burial Society has hailed a “huge improvement” in its relationship with north London coroner Mary Hassell after she revealed a new protocol to consider people's religious needs when prioritising them for burial.

Ms Hassell, whose jurisdiction covers Camden, Islington, Hackney and Tower Hamlets, had to draw up a new policy after the AYBS took her to the High Court over her previous "cab rank" policy that ignored the dead's religious needs.

This had appalled Muslims and Jews, who are required to bury people as soon as possible. The High Court ruled in April that the policy was “unlawful, irrational" and "discriminatory”.

This week, Ms Hassell published a new protocol that says the coroner will take account of details of the deceased such as "if they are of a religion or culture where observers commonly seek early funeral” or “family wishes expressed direct to the coroner’s officer or via any other, for example the reporting doctor, or faith or community representative”.

Rabbi Asher Gratt, from the AYBS, praised Ms Hassell for “abandoning the rigidity seen previously”, and said that “in fact [she] has bent over backwards to show she is listening to our needs over the past few months.

“This is a huge improvement on where were six months ago. We’ve been in discussions over the past few months and the coroner has been very co-operative,” he said.

“For the last six months we have seen a real willingness to co-operate and in our area we are now hopeful of receiving a compassionate coroner’s service.”

As well as a new burial protocol, Ms Hassell also confirmed that an out-of-hours coroner service would be provided. Camden Councillor Abdul Hai announced in July that £80,000 had been allocated for it.

Ms Hassell said: “Camden council is currently addressing the provision of IT and office co-location that will form the bedrock upon which the whole service can build.”

Ms Hassell has also indicated that she will begin producing an annual report which will provide key facts and information on how coroner services are operating across the boroughs under her jurisdiction, after being asked to do so by leaders and elected mayors of all four boroughs in her jurisdiction.

They wrote to her on Tuesday requesting that she begin producing such a report and called for it to include information “on how many requests for early release of bodies and for non-invasive autopsies have been made, and whether these were granted; how many bodies have been released within the three-day deadline set out in the Chief Coroner’s guidelines; and what efforts have been made to provide an out of hours’ service.”