Being buried at sea may be something you associate only with sailors - but in reality anyone can do it so long as you follow the rules.
You have to obtain a licence for burial at sea - different authorities grant this, depending on your location in the UK.
A licence will be granted on the grounds that the body meets strict criteria. These include:
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The body isn’t embalmed
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The body is lightly dressed in biodegradable material
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The body has a durable identification tag with the details of the funeral director.
And not only does the body need to be in a certain condition, so does the coffin, reports The Mirror.
According to the Gov website, the coffin must be made of a solid softwood and must not contain any plastic, lead, copper or zinc.
The coffin must be filled with holes and have a heavy metal base to make sure that it will sink. It must also have the weight inside distributed evenly to avoid it bobbing up vertically.
As well as the outer frame of the coffin following certain rules, the inner box or liner must be made from natural, non-toxic and biodegradable materials.
The whole thing must be able to withstand any impact and be able to carry the body quickly to the seabed.
For funeral notices in your area visit funeral-notices.co.uk
