Permission has been granted to exhume the grave of Christopher Alder.

The former paratrooper's funeral took place in 2000, two years after his death in police custody, aged 37.

But after a mortuary mix-up, tt is thought the body of Nigerian woman Grace Kamara, 77, was buried in his grave in Hull's Western Cemetery instead.

Hull City Council's chief executive Nicola Yates welcomed the decision by the Ministry of Justice to grant permission for the exhumation.

She said: "We welcome this decision, although we recognise the continued pain this causes for both families.

"I have made clear our intention to work with South Yorkshire police to try and discover the truth surrounding the events which took place in 2000.

"The licence will allow us to move towards a resolution for the families concerned."

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "We can confirm that The Ministry of Justice received and granted an application from Hull City Council for a licence to exhume the grave site of Christopher Alder."