Mansfield council approves £60k crem repairs after breakdown

Mansfield District Council has approved £60k worth of repair works to keep one of its cremators in operation for the next year. 

It comes after “cremator number four” in the district was out of use for five days in September after brickwork around its door failed. Although it was quickly brought back into service, further faults were identified including wear to the hearth and damage to the blast tube. A full reline of the unit would cost more than £100k, but temporary works are expected to extend its life by 12 months.  

The Mansfield and District Joint Crematorium Committee was told other cremators were broadly operating satisfactorily, but had experienced minor faults linked to this summer’s high temperatures. A 24-hour suspension of cremations was also required when a gas fail-safe failed, though this was quickly resolved.

Alongside equipment issues, a series of building repairs is also under way. These include temporary strapping to a cracked chimney stack, fire door repairs, and work on the crematorium roof to prevent water leaking onto machinery. The chapel’s music system will be upgraded with new encoders and an additional screen following complaints from mourners.

Groundwork will address unsafe paving, tree management and long-term soil problems in the memorial gardens, where high acidity levels and extreme heat have caused plant losses. A business case for a new watering system and a replacement programme for living memorials is due to be presented to the committee in December.

The Book of Remembrance Room, which was closed at weekends and on bank holidays in 2021, has now reopened following a successful staffing pilot. Cremation numbers for the first quarter of the year were broadly in line with the same period last year.