Cemetery expansion could be completed by next year as work begins to clear the site in Northampton

Northampton Borough Council (NBC), the authority responsible for the works, has released an update over the Dallington Cemetery expansion.

An NBC spokesman said: "The site has been cleared of vegetation, this is so we can continue with commissioning further investigation surveys to assist with the detail design that will support the full planning application.

"It is hoped the site will be finished by February 2022 so it is ready for burials in 2024."

The land where the expansion is being built was a former allotment site which had to make way for the development.

A report by environmental consultants Enzygo, which was published in September 2018, found that the total number of burial plots required in the town is 4,011 by 2029, and 8,456 by 2036. This has led to plans to find and create burial spots across the town.