The case for a public inquiry into a baby ashes scandal is utterly unanswerable, according to the lawyer representing campaigners.

A group representing the families affected met with politicians at Holyrood yesterday, saying an inquiry was the only way to give grieving parents the answers they needed.

It emerged in December that Mortonhall crematorium in Edinburgh secretly buried the ashes of babies for decades without the knowledge of their families. Since then, other local authorities have been implicated.

Patrick McGuire, of Thompsons solicitors, representing a number of families, said: "The case for a public inquiry is utterly unanswerable and if one is not announced then there can only be a backlash."