MORE THAN £850,000 is to be spent replacing and upgrading equipment at Barnsley Crematorium in a move which will mean grieving relatives of larger people will no longer be told they need to go elsewhere to have their loved one cremated.

The council’s ruling cabinet has approved the installation of four new cremators at Barnsley Crematorium, phased in over the next two years. These will replace the existing cremators which are coming to the end of their economic life.

The installation will be divided into two phases. The first will see two new cremators installed in this summer. The second phase will see another two installed in summer 2020. Throughout the work two cremators will stay operational, making sure there is no disruption to the public.

The cremators have been in use for almost 25 years, and they are coming to the end of their working life span. Due to this, some machine parts are no longer in production, meaning that repairs lead to higher maintenance costs, delays and operational difficulties. With new machines, there will be limited repair costs, saving the council money and reducing the downtime of service to residents.

The new cremators will be larger and accommodate people of all sizes. The smaller existing machines meant some residents were travelling outside the borough to be cremated.

Coun Roy Miller said: “The crematorium is an important part of the council’s services and these improvements will help to future-proof this for the next 25 years.

“The thermal efficiency of the new cremators will contribute to a 40 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions while allowing us to still perform the same number of cremations. This will help us to reduce carbon emissions, protecting the environment and our beautiful borough. It will also save money and provide a better and more efficient service for our residents.”