Rochford Council is increasing the size of its graves to allow for larger coffins.
The new regulations, which are due to take effect next week should there be no objections, will mean that graves will now be 10 ft by four ft wide with the option to buy the adjacent grave should clients require more space.
Rochford councillor Keith Gordon said: “The actual graves are getting bigger, as you can appreciate, because some people are getting large.”
Currently 25.4 per cent of Rochford’s adult population is obese – a slightly higher figure than the national average.
Gordon added: “You can end up with a collapse if you’re not careful; I think that’s uppermost in people’s minds. The depth is most important; if you get two too close together you can get a collapse.”
Image: Yohan Euan o4
