These Rules and Regulations are pursuant to the power contained in The Local Authorities Cemetery Order 1977, The Cremation Act 1902 and The Cremation Regulations 2008, in order to ensure the proper management of the following Cemetery & Crematorium:
West Lancashire Cemetery & Crematorium, Pippin Street, Burscough, Lancashire L40 7SP
General
1. Any person admitted to the Cemetery & Crematorium is subject to these Regulations and to any directions that may be given by a Cemeteries Officer in the course of administering the Cemetery and Crematorium service.
2. The grounds will be open to the public during the following times:
On Weekdays: 9.00 am to 6.00pm. April - September & 9.00 am to 5.00pm. October - March
On Weekends and Bank Holidays: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Office opening hours: 9.00am to 5.00pm – Monday to Friday
Any permanent variations to these opening times will be displayed on the main notice board at least seven days prior to the change.
3. A Cemeteries Officer may take any reasonable action to safeguard the health or safety of the public including closing a Cemetery or part of a Cemetery to the public for the purpose of interments, adverse weather conditions or any reason deemed necessary for the safe operation of the cemetery.
4. All applications for burials must be made to the Cemeteries Office between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. Other than in exceptional circumstances or for religious reasons and with the agreement of the Cemeteries Officer at least two full working days' notice must be given before the proposed date of burial. Notice must be given on the West Lancashire Cemetery standard Notice of Interment.
5. The appropriate fee or charge must be paid to the Cemeteries Office before any interment or work takes place unless agreed otherwise by the Cemeteries Office.
6. Any funeral cortege arriving more than 15 minutes before or after the appointed time may be directed to wait by a Cemeteries Officer until it is convenient to proceed.
7. Any person wishing to carry out an interment or any other work must report to the Cemeteries Officer before carrying out the interment or work. No interment may take place without the presence of a Cemeteries Officer.
8. No coffin, casket, wreath, monument, memorial or other article placed in the Cemetery in connection with an interment may be removed from the Cemetery without the permission of the Cemeteries Office.
9. All monuments, memorials, wreaths, plants, plant holders or other personal articles placed in the Cemetery or Crematorium Gardens are the responsibility of the grave owner, West Lancashire Cemetery & Crematorium will not accept any responsibility for their repair, loss or maintenance but may take any appropriate actions to make them safe and recover their costs from the grave owner.
10. No person who is intoxicated, disorderly, uses obscene or offensive language or who commits a nuisance will be allowed in any part of the Cemetery and Crematorium.
11. Dogs are allowed in the chapel providing the appropriate indemnity form has been signed beforehand. Dogs are allowed in the grounds but owners must keep them on a lead at all times and must be vigilant that their dog does not foul on any grave or memorial.
12. Cycling, skating, skateboarding, the lighting of fireworks or the playing of games or music are not permitted within the Cemetery.
13. Motor vehicles must not proceed at more than 10 miles per hour and may only drive and park on the roads or prescribed areas. Drivers must obey any directions made by a Cemeteries Officer with regard to routes or parking. Unauthorised vehicles may be removed from the Cemetery. Parking on lawns is not permitted.
14. No person may ply for hire or solicit for business within the Cemetery.
15. Balloon releases and sky lanterns pose environmental and fire risks and are not permitted within the grounds.
Purchase of Graves
16. Any person over the age of 18 years may, subject to availability and payment of the current fee, purchase a Grant for the Exclusive Rights of Burial in a grave space for up to three body interments and four cremated remains interments. The period of Grant will not exceed 50 years.
17. Such Grants will only be made to members of the public either individually or jointly; Grants will not be made in the name of any business or company with the exception of Solicitors or Local Authorities acting on behalf of the deceased.
18. The Exclusive Right of Burial in a private earth grave is 50 years from the date of purchase. Grantees (grave owners) should inform the Cemetery office immediately of change of address.
19. Such Grants may only be transferred with the consent of the Cemetery office and will be subject to the following conditions:
i. The original Deed of Grant must be produced or a Statutory Declaration to the effect that it has been lost sworn in front of a Commissioner for Oaths.
ii. The original Grant owner must give their written consent in an assignment form or have made provision for the transfer in their will or if there is no will the Grant will pass to the next of kin subject to them completing a Statutory Declaration indemnifying the Cemetery against any claims by other relatives.
iii. The new owner must pay any transfer fee that would have been payable if they had been the original owner.
iv. The new owner must pay a fee set at a minimum of one hour's administration time at the current rate of charge.
Interments
20. Each body, whether adult or child, brought into the Cemetery for Interment must be contained in a suitable coffin or casket. Except:
i. In circumstances agreed by the Head of Public Protection, and
ii. For death due to childbirth, when mother and child may be buried together, only one body may be contained in each coffin.
21. The Deed of Grant of Right of Exclusive Burial must be produced to the Cemetery Office before any interment takes place. No grave may be opened for interment without the written consent of the grave owner except for the interment of the grave owner.
22. An interment fee at the current rate must be paid prior to the interment taking place.
23. The Registrar's Certificate for Disposal or the Coroner's Order for Burial must be produced to the Cemetery Office before the interment of any body. The Cemetery Office must be advised at the time of booking if the deceased died of an infectious disease.
24. The Cemetery Office must be advised prior to the interment of any special tributes or personal items that families wish to keep otherwise these will be removed and disposed of. All tributes will be removed from graves and disposed of two weeks after the last interment unless a specific request is made and agreed.
25. All graves without exception will be dug by persons employed or contacted to the cemetery.
26. Pet ashes cannot be interred in the Cemetery.
Care of Graves
27. Wreaths of fresh flowers, flower arrangements and cut flowers shall not be left on any grave for longer than two weeks. Christmas wreaths will be removed and disposed of during the last week of January. A Cemetery Officer may remove and dispose of any wreaths or cut flowers without notice which detract from the appearance of the Cemetery.
28. The Cemetery reserves the right of access over all grave spaces and the right to temporarily remove without notice any memorial, potted plants, edging or personal items from any grave to facilitate the digging of another grave for the purpose of interment or exhumation.
29. The cemetery have right to place spoil from excavated graves on adjacent plots for the purpose of burial or exhumation. Following the interment all affected areas will be reinstated to their previous condition.
30. The size of the grave plot for lawn memorials is 760mm (2’6”) long x 760mm (2’6”) wide. The size of the plot for traditional graves is 760mm (2’6”) wide x 1980mm (6’6”) long.
31. The maximum coffin dimensions for the mausoleum chamber is 735mm (29”) wide x 635mm (25”) high x 2300mm (90”) long.
32. No surround may be placed around any grave or part of a grave on any part of a Cemetery designated as a Lawn Cemetery other than around an area no more than 760mm (2'6") square measured from the back of the headstone of each grave, which may be cultivated for plants. Surrounds must be of masonry material, granite or marble and must not protrude more than 50mm (2") above ground level. Permanent plastic, wire, metal or wooden surrounds are not permitted as they deteriorate and cause maintenance issues. No planting is allowed on any other part of a lawn grave.
33. Temporary surrounds covering the 720mm (2’6”) wide x 1980mm (6’6”) long are permitted on traditional graves only. These must be removed by the grave owner prior installation of any memorial. Temporary surrounds may prevent routine maintenance being carried out to the grave space by Cemetery staff. Any surround that is broken, deteriorated or exceeds the permitted size will be removed without notification.
34. The placing of paving slabs, shingle, or unauthorised memorials etc around and leading to a grave space is strictly prohibited and shall be removed and disposed of without prior notice on the grounds of health and safety and to satisfy the insurance underwriter of the cemetery.
35. All flower containers must be enclosed in a permanent surround or sunk to ground level within the designated planting area which is 460mm (18”) from the front of the headstone.
36. New graves or re-opened graves in the Lawn Cemetery will be seeded during spring or autumn at least nine months after the last interment. All surrounds or plants other than in the designated planting area will be removed prior to seeding. Grave owners are permitted to lay turf over the grave space once the plot has completely settled.
37. Plants may only be planted within the confines of a grave surround on any grave in a part of the Cemetery designated for traditional graves. Plants cannot be planted over the length of lawn graves other than the designated area.
38. The Cemeteries Office will remove, without notice, any tree or shrub that obstructs any grave, headstone, road or path. No trees or large growing shrubs are permitted to be planted around or within the grave space. These will be removed without notification as they can encroach on other spaces, cause issues with the grave and issues with maintenance and interment.
39. Plans showing the grave spaces are kept by the Cemetery office and may be viewed during normal office hours.
Monuments and Memorials
40. All memorials must be supplied and fixed by the cemetery company. No external stone masons will be permitted to carry out work in the cemetery. Unauthorised memorials will be removed from the cemetery at the grave owner’s expense.
41. Landings and foundations for grave surrounds and headstones will be installed by the Cemetery memorial staff as part of the memorial. Foundations will be of the appropriate size for the type of grave plot and conform to BS8415:2018.
42. On lawn graves headstones must be at least 760mm (2'6”) high above ground level, 300mm (1') wide and 75mm (3") thick with a base 300mm (12”) deep and no more than 900mm (3') high, 760mm (2'6") wide and 150mm (6") thick. Headstones will be installed on a secured landing and in accordance with the Code of Practice and Standard Specification of the National Association of Monumental Masons.
43. On lawn graves, kerb surrounds are permitted for the cultivation of plants or maintenance free chippings/cover slabs. Surrounds must not exceed 760mm (2’6”) wide and 460mm (1’6”) deep.
44. On graves where the exclusive right of burial has not been granted headstones must be no more than 750mm (2'6") high above ground level, 300mm (1') wide and 75mm (3") deep.
45. Traditional memorials should not be erected until at least 12 months after the last interment. The Cemetery will not be responsible for levelling memorials where the owner has erected a memorial before 12 months.
46. Traditional memorials must not exceed 760mm (2’6”) wide and 1980mm (6’6”) in length. The maximum height permitted for traditional memorial is 1830mm (6’)
47. No items are permitted on any land other than where the Exclusive Right of Burial has been granted and may not exceed the memorial dimensions for the type of grave.
48. All monuments or memorials will be inscribed with the appropriate grave number.
49. All monuments or memorials must be securely fixed together and fixed to the landing or foundation with dowels of copper, aluminium or galvanised metal at least 12mm in diameter and must extend at least 75mm into the foundation unit.
50. All monuments or memorials must be constructed of best quality solid stone. York stone or similar soft stones or composite stones or wooden or other perishable materials are not permitted.
51. The Cemetery has the right to make safe any memorial that is deemed to be dangerous or insecure by means of laying flat said memorial. The cemetery will make every effort to contact the owner and if required recover any costs for safety work required.
52. All cemetery memorials will inspected every 5 years and a record maintained of the inspection to ensure they are structurally safe and do not pose any danger to visitors and employees in the cemetery. If a memorial is found to be unsafe the Cemetery office will deal with the memorial in an appropriate manner which may include removal if necessary. The Cemetery will endeavour to contact the grave owner at the address held in our statutory register for burial.
53. Memorial benches can only be purchased from and supplied by the cemetery company and their position will be determined throughout an agreed lease period by the cemetery company.
54. The Cemetery Company cannot accept responsibility for the safekeeping of any personal items left in the grounds or on memorials.
Gardens of Remembrance
55. The Gardens of Remembrance are a communal areas, please respect each other’s space. Dedicated areas are not permitted unless authorised by the cemetery office and the appropriate fee paid.
56. Flowers and potted plants are permitted within the confines of a memorial plot.
57. Permitted personal items within the cemetery and gardens are restricted to potted plants, fresh flowers and wreaths. The cemetery office will not be held responsible for their safekeeping.
58. Wind chimes and any item that creates a noise nuisance are forbidden anywhere in the cemetery or gardens and will be removed without notice.
59. It is forbidden to encroach on any land, tree or area within the cemetery or gardens where the Exclusive Rights of Burial has not been granted.
60. To maintain a clean and peaceful environment personal items are not permitted outside dedicated memorial plots within the Garden of Remembrance or Cemetery. Unauthorised items including items that detract from the appearance of the gardens will be removed without notice. These items will be retained for a period of two weeks for collection otherwise after this period the cemetery may dispose of such items.
61. Private cremation plots have their own appropriate regulations for dedication. Please refer to the memorial agreement.
Exhumations
62. No interred remains may be exhumed or removed from any part of any Cemetery without an appropriate Home Office Licence. In respect of an interment in an area of a Cemetery designated as Consecrated, a Faculty from the Diocese must also be obtained.
63. Any exhumation must be carried out in accordance with all conditions set out in the Licence or Faculty and must be carried out when the Cemetery is closed to the public.
64. An exhumation fee and any appropriate grave digging or memorial removal charges at the current rate must be paid prior to the exhumation.
Records
65. Electronic registers of all burials and cremations will be kept at the Cemeteries Office and will be open, by appointment, to search by any member of the public during the opening hours of the Cemeteries Office. Provision of written confirmation of Register details will be charged at a minimum of half an hour's administration time at the current rate of charge.
Additional rules
66. The Cemetery reserves the right to make any alterations and additions to the Rules and Regulations of the Cemetery & Crematorium at any time it feels fit or appropriate.
These rules come into effect – February 2017.
