Monday, March 25, 2013

Council to carry out mock floodlit funerals to find out if it's safe to bury people after dark

Mock funerals are going to take place at two cemeteries in Luton so council officials can make sure it’s safe to bury people after dark.

Burials at the The Vale and Rothesay Road currently only take place up until 3.30pm, but the council wants to keep the cemeteries open until 6pm, all year round, “to improve customer service”.



Late afternoon funerals in autumn and winter will have to take place under floodlights, and a council report says mock floodlit funerals will be carried out as part of a full risk assessment to ensure the safety of staff and the bereaved.

The floodlights are going to cost the council £2,000, and the authority will charge £50 every time they are used, which should bring in £1,300 a year. The report adds: “The purpose of these objectives is to improve customer services to the bereaved at the least cost.”

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What do they expect will happen? I mean, geez, they can always have a pair of sharp stakes and mallet handy, I guess ...

Lurker111

Sandy said...

I would think they would be more worried about old people shuffling back and forth to their cars through the graveyard. The ground is uneven and grannies are more likely to trip and fall if it's dark.

When my oldest brother died, he was buried on cold January afternoon and I remember the minister rushing through the graveside service because everybody was freezing and it was starting to get dark. As soon as it was finished, we were all practically running back to the cars.

Anonymous said...

@Sandy:

Point taken.

Lurker111