Family 'devastated' over lack of local burial space

A family have shared their "devastation" after having to bury loved ones outside their local area because the cemetery was full.

Mahboob Hussain, 84, died in January, with his family told the last remaining space for Muslim burial at Dewsbury Cemetery had been filled the day he died.

Sahil Hussain, his grandson, said about 30 of his relatives were buried at the cemetery, but they were forced to bury his grandfather away from his local community in Heckmondwike.

Kirklees Council said both Batley and Heckmondwike cemeteries have "several years" of space remaining and both are about three miles away from Dewsbury Cemetery.

Around 80% of people who die in the UK each year are cremated, however Islamic custom typically emphasises a body should be buried within 24 hours of death if possible.

"For us to hear that there was no space when it came to his time, when he had been a member of this Dewsbury community and contributed to this community, was very devastating for us," said Sahil.

He said his family visited the graves of loved ones several times a week to say prayers for them, with Heckmondwike Cemetery about three miles away.

"At school times or weekends it has become a 20 to 25-minute journey stuck in traffic from Dewsbury to Heckmondwike," he said.

"It's resulting in a lot of our family members not being able to go to visit his grave."

In a statement, Kirklees Council said: "In North Kirklees, both Batley and Heckmondwike cemeteries have several years of space remaining to serve local residents of all faiths and none.

"Both facilities are around three miles away from Dewsbury Cemetery, which is now at capacity for Muslim burials."

They added: "For the long term, the council has agreed to develop a new multi-faith cemetery to increase local capacity for Dewsbury."

Other parts of Yorkshire are also working to manage a dwindling number of burial sites.

In South Yorkshire, burial capacity is set to run out in Sheffield in as few as five years, according to the city council, with Muslim burial space projected to be depleted in three years.

The council is planning to expand City Road Cemetery to address this, with new cemetery locations also being considered.

In Bradford the council recently announced plans for a new Muslim cemetery to meet growing demand.

Across the country, existing graves could be reused to deal with burial space shortages according to a Law Commission proposal.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.