Biggar undertaker unhappy with cremation guidelines

In a letter to local undertakers, the council’s bereavement services manager Danny Maxwell stated that due to ‘certain health and safety’ issues services for dead people who weigh 21 stone or more will only be held before 11am at the council’s crematorium in Blantyre.

Furthermore only one coffin at this weight would be accepted by the crematorium in one day.

This news has angered Biggar funderal director Andrew Ironside who believes that bereaved families in Clydesdale will suffer the most due to the longer distance they have to travel to pay their final respects to their loves ones.

Andrew, who has been in the business for 25 years, said: “To me the council are discriminating against people who are over that particular weight. In fact with the weight of the coffin it will be people 20 stone and over.

“I think if they were challenged legally I don’t see how it would stand up in court.

“I don’t like it and I think it is very unfair that funeral directors will have to be the ones to tell bereaved families that their loved ones can’t be cremated on a particular day because of these guidelines.”

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week’s Carluke and Lanark Gazette which is in the shops now.