A MAN in charge of a ­crematorium at the centre of the baby ash scandal investigation has been sacked.

Derek Snow was suspended from his post at Aberdeen Crematorium after council officials launched a new probe in June. An allegation had surfaced about the remains of adults and infants being cremated together at the Hazlehead site.

The scandal was sparked last year by the discovery that staff at Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh had secretly buried infants' ashes. The discovery of the mass grave in the capital gave rise to a public outcry and several councils across Scotland launched their own investigations into cremation practices.

However, an internal inquiry carried out by ­Aberdeen City Council found no evidence of wrongdoing, despite failing to return the remains of 24 babies to parents.

Mr Snow was recently suspended from his role after the local authority decided to launch a new probe into working practices at the city crematorium. And yesterday it emerged that he was no longer employed by the city council and his job is now being advertised.

Senior councillors have been sent an e-mail informing them that Mr Snow had been removed from his post, but the local authority refused to confirm his departure, stating that it did not comment on staffing matters.

The crematorium management vacancy was published online on Monday.