I couldn’t resist this story. It seems that Britain’s crematoria are struggling to cope with the rising number of the obese.
Expanding waistlines are forcing many councils to spend thousands widening their furnaces, the Local Government Association has warned.
In some cases grieving relatives have to travel hundreds of miles to find crematoria that can accommodate over-sized coffins.
Standard coffins range from 16-20 inches, but coffins up to 40 inches are becoming increasingly common.
The LGA, which represents over 400 councils in England and Wales, is warning that local authorities are finding that many of their furnaces are too narrow to deal with these larger coffins.
There are reported to be around 430 000 cremations in Britain each year. Most funerals involve cremation rather than burial.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Kim 04.18.07 at 7:12 pm
I’m glad you “couldn’t resist”, Richard. Yes, I can see a guy queuing at the Pearly Gates with a sign on his back: “Wide Load”.
There’s an old Jewish saying that shrouds have no pockets, but perhaps Marks & Spencer should think of doing a range with expandable waistlines.
Another thought: wasn’t the smoke from the sizzling fat of sacrificial beasts especially pleasing to the Lord?
Grave humour - it’s always been one of my weakness (or, if your work is in funerals, one of my strengths).