Burial times extended at Walsall cemetery
Opening times will be extended at a cemetery in Walsall to allow for 10 extra burials a week and funerals to take place on bank holidays.
The new service will run between April and September at busy Streetly Cemetery following requests from people across the borough.
From April 20, burials will be able to take place up until 8.30pm on weekdays, allowing more than 12 extra hours per week.
Currently, burials are only permitted between 9.30am and 6pm on Mondays to Fridays between May and August.
The new arrangements mean that the service has capacity to carry out two extra services on weekdays at the cemetery in Little Hardwick Road.
The last time for burials during other months of the year is 3pm, apart from December and January when it is 2.15pm.
There will be no change to times on weekends but burials will be able to take place on Good Friday, Easter Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day under the new arrangements. All bank holidays will be available, apart from Christmas Day.
Council bosses said they hoped the changes would help families trying to cope in difficult circumstances.
Walsall's leisure and culture chief, Councillor Khizar Hussain said: "The death of a loved one is, understandably, a traumatic event for family and friends.
"They have to make necessary arrangements while coping with their grief and anything that can be done to ease this difficult period is welcome.
"As portfolio holder, I have had many discussions with our borough communities and understand that an extension to the council's burial service will go some way towards making things easier for residents who find themselves in these circumstances.
"In addition to these weekday summer evening enhancements I have also been able to increase the days available for burial to include all bank holidays except for Christmas Day.
"I thank all of those residents who have raised this issue with us and worked with us to find a solution."
Deaths will need to be notified to the register office by 4.45pm on Monday to Friday to enable an appointment to be made for the death registration to be completed.
It comes after plans to spend up to £1.2m on creating around 5,000 new burial spaces at Willenhall Lawn Cemetery emerged last month.
Walsall Council wants to extend the cemetery to provide enough room for burials at the site for another 40 years.
