THIS IS AWFUL! THE UK SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED.

Mom in U.K. Fined for Grieving Too Long at Baby Son's Funeral

Wow, I guess you need to be careful not only where you die--but where and how long you grieve. Good grief! (No pun intended)

A grieving mother in Britain was fined $173 for spending too long at her son's coffin before it was taken away for cremation.

Terrie Rouse, 32, said her grief turned to shock when officials told her she had taken too long to say goodbye, The Daily Mail reported.

"The vicar had asked if I would like to spend a bit more time saying goodbye," she said. "I sat by the coffin for 10 minutes, telling my son how much we loved him and begging him not to be scared."

Officials at the crematorium, run by a local English council, impose an extra charge if any funeral runs over its 30-minute slot.

However, the couple's funeral directors said there was plenty of time for the next funeral which was not due to take place for another 50 minutes.

Rouse’s partner, Lee Smythe, said the fee was "sick and disgusting.""Terrie was weeping hysterically," he said. "She just wanted a few extra minutes to say goodbye to our much-loved little boy."

The couple’s son, Zane, died at five weeks from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome on April 9.

The family waited three months before they could have a funeral to allow for tests to be carried out.

"It was distressing enough having to wait for the funeral because we were left in limbo, but this has just made it all worse," Smythe said.