The Government is to allow graves to be re-used to tackle overcrowding in cemeteries, it has been announced. Under the move, local councils will be able to permit doubling-up on burial sites after 100 years unless families object. Pressure on space in graveyards has long been a cause of concern. Despite a rise in the number of cremations, around 150,000 people are buried every year. Burial grounds say they will be completely full within the next three decades, and the property boom has driven up the price of plots further. In a written statement to MPs, Justice Minister Harriet Harman said: "The Government is now satisfied that it would be right to enable graves to be re-used in this way, subject to appropriate safeguards. "For example, no grave should normally be re-used unless the last burial took place at least 100 years before. "And families should have the opportunity to defer re-use of their relatives' graves for at least another generation." Powers allowing local authorities to re-use their plots are to be granted under the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994, according to Ms Harman. She said the option had received "widespread support" during a consultation process which has been running since 2004. Apart from relieving pressure on land it should encourage better maintenance of historic burial sites, Ms Harman added.
Burn em all, and let God sort them out. I really don't see the point in burying a whole body. All it does is take up space, puts many harmful chemicals into the ground, and cost a lot of money. If they cremated everyone, it would save space and money. You could bury it in the ground but use only a tenth of the space, and no nasty preservatives would enter the ground once the coffin and body finally decompose.
good points, dom!... the whole 'remains' thing that humans get all angsty over is ridiculous to the max... the dead can't know or care what happens to the shell they left behind, regardless of how silly they were about the subject when alive and doing what passed for thinking... humans are the only species that spends more of their time, resources and mental/emotional energy on the dead, than on many aspects of living... stupidity at its worst, imo... no wonder the more advanced species of sentient beings who check us out don't want to make their presence known!
Mammamaia, Humans are not the only 'animals' that mourn their dead. :S Mother deers whose young have died don't leave their side for a good few days. Respecting the dead isn't about what the dead thought about death. It's a respect for the families of the deceased.
If this supposed "overcrowding of cemeteries" is such a problem, then they should probably increase cremations, in my opinion
Wow, I was in shock when I read this. How can they do that? I mean, if that time comes that we actually have no room to bury people anymore, why not make it law to have a cremation? To disturb a body like that is unthinkable.
Why, anyone would wonder why you haven't made an attempt to get yourself out of this terrible human body yet, and free yourself from our stupidity!
