ATTENDING a cremation service at the Oxford Crematorium I was surprised to be immersed in unusual fumes, as soon as I stepped out of the car.

The closer to the crematorium I got the stronger the fumes became and mentioning it to my companions, they agreed and suggested we go into the waiting room.

The chimney stack at the crematorium is surprisingly low. No doubt the engineers and designers of the crematorium had excellent reasons for making the chimney stack so low but as every household that has an open fire knows, given the right weather conditions, the chimney fumes will always descend to the ground level.

Can there be any reasons in the 21st century for the Headington Crematorium chimney scrubbers and filters not to be efficient?

Branko R Babic, Middle Way, Summertown, Oxford