The thugs who even throw stones at funeral processions and firemen

The past decade has seen public attitude towards funerals reach an "all-time low", they claim.

Similarly, firefighters are facing a torrent of abuse and mindless attacks from yobs as they attempt to save lives.

In a "sad reflection of today's society" motorists refuse to stop for funeral processions and regularly cut up hearses.

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Respect for the dead: Funeral processions are targets for anti-social behaviour (file picture)

Horses pulling funeral carriages have even had stones thrown at them by schoolchildren.

Undetakers have revealed that members of the public now rarely stop when the cortege passes and policeman no longer salute.

The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors says members are reporting more such incidents, with the situation worse in big cities.

John Weir from the society, whose members organise 60 per cent of funerals in Britain, said: "Respect for the dead is at an alltime low.

"People used to stop as a funeral went past, those wearing hats would take them off, policemen would salute and traffic would give way.

"That doesn't happen any more and in the past ten years there has been a decline in behaviour.

"Funeral directors have noticed this change and, of course, it is the families who are affected.

"A funeral only happens once. If something happens, the relatives are scarred for ever. It is a sad reflection of today's society.

"Things are worse in the cities; in market towns and in the country it is not as bad."

John Harris, of T Cribb and Sons funeral directors in London's East End, organises 800 horsedrawn funerals each year. He believes carrying out a funeral has become more difficult because of the attitude of other road-users and a lack of respect from today's youngsters.

"In the past ten years respect for the dead has declined," he said. "And it is part of a wider breakdown of society.

"Road users are the biggest problem. Drivers will overtake and then cut in, which can spook the horses. And we have had an incident of schoolchildren throwing things at the horses.

"When I started 35 years ago, things like this would never have happened."

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The shocking reports from undertakers come as firemen reveal they regularly come under fire from yobs.

Union chiefs are warning that firemen need more protection from violent thugs - with 40 crews a week facing serious attacks.

Gangs of yobs are luring crews on to the streets with hoax calls or by setting fire to rubbish bins or cars.

The firemen are then surrounded and pelted with stones, bricks, bottles and even petrol bombs.

There have also been stabbings, booby-trap explosions and crews shot with airguns, while verbal intimidation and abuse have become commonplace.

Assaults leapt from 1,300 to 1,500 last year according to the Fire Brigades Union.

In some areas, violence and verbal abuse have become so routine that crews no longer bother to report incidents - making a nonsense of Government figures showing a marked improvement with only 400 attacks last year.

Publishing a report into the worsening problems yesterday, the union accused ministers of turning a blind eye and demanded investment in a nationwide strategy to protect firefighters.

Currently there is no self-defence training for crews and no proper system of priority police callouts to deal with attacks.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said it is almost "beyond belief" that firemen and women could be attacked so viciously while fighting fires and trying to save lives.

"In some areas, attacking fire crews has become a recreational activity with very serious consequences," he added. "It cannot be part of anyone's job to face abuse, threats or attacks."

Mr Wrack said alcohol and drug abuse are fuelling the problems among youngsters in deprived areas, who are behind the bulk of the assaults.

He added: "The highest numbers of attacks are in areas characterised by poor housing, poverty and few or no facilities for young people.

"Understanding why attacks happen is not to condone or accept them as part of the job, but to help us address the problem."

Most attacks took place in urban areas, some of which saw dramatic increases last year.

In Tyne and Wear and in Durham and Darlington, assaults more than doubled in the year to March 2007, while in South Yorkshire they rose by 64 per cent.

In Tyne and Wear, crews are being issued with "spit kits" to collect DNA samples when they are spat at. In Greater Manchester fire engines are being fitted with CCTV cameras.

However, some firemen fear the cameras will undermine public trust, blurring the lines between them and the police.

The FBU is calling for crews to be trained in dealing with attacks and for more money to be invested in protection and in catching and prosecuting attackers.

The report urges a major public awareness campaign to try to stamp out the trend, with initiatives targeted on schools in worst-hit areas.

Union bosses also want quicker police responses, with a commitment to send fully-trained officers instead of community support officers to deal with incidents.

The report warns that many attackers are going unpunished even if they are caught.

One Edinburgh youth who threw a breezeblock at a fire engine was made to apologise, but no further action was taken.

For the Conservatives, communities and local government spokesman Eric Pickles said: "Ministers must come clean and explain why they are hiding or failing to record the rising number of assaults on firefighters."

He added: "The full force of the law should be used to identify and bring to justice those who hinder or harm the vital work of firefighters in saving lives."

A spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government said violence against fire crews is "unacceptable".

He added that new sentencing guidelines would increase penalties for attacks on public sector workers.