Northampton Borough Council this week wrote to funeral directors around Northampton warning them the cemetery at Berrywood Road in Duston was now full.

The announcement means five of Northampton's seven cemeteries are now at capacity.

A spokesman for the borough council said: "We are responsible for the care and maintenance of seven cemeteries in the town. Along with councils up and down the country we've had to closely monitor the demand for space across each of our cemeteries. Over the last few years we've expanded a number of our cemeteries and are continuing to explore a number of options to meet the future needs of the town.

"We have enough space in our cemeteries to meet the needs of the town for the next decade.

"But this week we have written to the town's funeral directors to inform them that there is no more space available at Duston Cemetery."

There is currently no space at the cemeteries in Dallington, Duston, Great Houghton, Weston Favell or Billing Road.

A council study has shown there is still 15 years worth of space at the Towcester Road Cemetery and nine years left at the Kingsthorpe Cemetery.

But Councillor John Caswell (Con, New Duston) who represents people in the Duston area, said people who have lived in the village all their lives should have the opportunity to be buried there.

He said: "I would have thought the answer would have been to find somewhere to extend the Duston cemetery.

"Duston is growing like mad now, but the people who've lived here all there lives have a right to be buried here.

"Personally, I'd like to see the cemetery extended into the allotments next door. That makes sense to me."

Anyone who has questions about the council's cemeteries can contact the authority on Northampton 838903.