BURIALS for cremated remains will resume in St Helens next week following a fall in the number of funerals.

Demand for funeral and cremation services surged during the peak of the coronavirus, forcing St Helens Council to put ash burials on hold.

At the height of the outbreak, St Helens was averaging 18 funeral services per day. Around 15 of those were cremations.

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Up to now, ashes have been placed in the cemetery’s chapel, returned to funeral directors or the bereaved families.

Funerals and cremations taking place daily at St Helens Cemetery and Crematorium and Newton-le-Willows Cemetery have now fallen to single digits, although this does vary, according to St Helens Borough Council.

Subsequently, burials of ashes will resume from Monday, June 22.

The burials will follow the same restrictions as chapel ceremonies and burial services, with a maximum of ten people permitted to attend the graveside.

Families will still have the choice to delay burial of ashes until a later date, so that they may be able to have larger ceremonies if and when social distancing allows.

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The council said the burial of ashes will remain under review, and could be suspended again if the number of funerals and cremations rises again.

If you wish to have ashes buried in St Helens or Newton-le-Willows cemeteries, contact your funeral director.