A new cemetery opposite Westerleigh Crematorium is ready for use – although it is hoped the facility will never be needed.
It has only taken around two weeks for workers to dig up a Westerleigh Road field to provide up to 3,000 graves amid the coronavirus pandemic.
South Gloucestershire Council confirmed today (April 27) no further work is required until the site may be needed for burials.
A spokesman said: "While we have capacity at our existing cemeteries at Kingswood and Mayshill, there is the potential that demand will outstrip our ability to bury larger numbers of people in short spaces of time in those places during the peak of Covid-related deaths.
“Therefore we have identified a council-owned site on Westerleigh Road, opposite the existing Westerleigh Crematorium, which will allow us to meet any increased peak demand, to hold burials with dignity and to ensure the safety of everyone involved."
The cemetery will have capacity for 3,000 graves, but the council does not believe that number is likely to be required.
Pucklechurch Parish Council chairwoman Gail Boyle said: "There is no intention of operating the site as a commercial council cemetery and so even if it is used for burials during the Covid-19 outbreak, there are no plans to use it beyond that time."
It comes after a makeshift mortuary was built in less than a week to increase capacity in Brislington.
The site at the Sandy Park vehicle depot can hold up to 240 bodies while they are stored ahead of funerals.
There have been 571 confirmed coronavirus cases in Bristol and 321 in South Gloucestershire, according to Public Health England figures released on April 26.
The death toll in Bristol hospitals stood at 142, as of that date.
We also asked Bristol City Council if it has plans to increase burial capacity in its area.
A spokesman said: "Bristol City Council has enough capacity on existing crematoriums and cemeteries, so is not expanding capacity."
