- .Up to four burial caskets would be laid on top of each other underground
- .Banwell Cemetery in Somerset has 70 plots left and could be full in 15 years
- .Parish council considering system to extend cemetery life by 40 years
- .Units would only be available for family members, not general burial space
- .Two similar systems already in place in Stafford and Burntwood
- .Other councils are looking into the scheme
A system whereby burial caskets are laid on top of each other underground is being considered by the parish council in Banwell, Somerset.
Banwell Cemetery at St Andrew’s Church in the village has just 70 plots left and is likely to be full within 15 years.
Banwell Cemetery in Somerset could install the system by Greenacre Solutions Ltd which would allow burial caskets to be stacked four deep underground (pictured)
Tony Jay, parish council clerk, said: ‘Councillors are now looking at the future as to how we can deal with this.
‘The benefit of this scheme would be that we could increase the number of graves in the current burial ground which would extend the life of the cemetery.’
Currently the parish council can only offer two-deep plots - but adopting the concept could extend the cemetery life by around 40 years.
It is in talks with Greenacre Solutions – the only company in the UK offering a modular stacking system.
If the parish council went ahead with the plans, the units would only be available for family members and not for general burial space.
Banwell Cemetery at St Andrew's Church has just 70 plots left and could run out of space within 15 years
Mr Jay added: ‘I wish to emphasise that if this system were to be introduced then it would not have any effect on any previously purchased grave plots, where burials would still take place in the traditional way.
‘The parish councillors appreciate that this is an emotive subject.'
The council has already agreed to look at the possibility of buying land on the edge of the village to provide more burial plots but it could prove more expensive alternative.
Although it is a fairly new concept, the system has been used in Stafford at the Eccleshall Road cemetery after it ran out of space and the only available ground was too sandy to allow for traditional burial plots.
The first plot was used for the burial of a man in August, and since the initial 12 were installed in June, ten have already been sold.
Greenacres have now been invited to install a further 20 to 30 plots, which will be put in place in the coming months.
While the installation does increase the cost of digging the graves, Stafford Borough Council insisted it would save money in the long term and increase the amount of available space threefold.
A spokesperson for Stafford Borough Council said they believed they were the first in the country to experiment with the new grave system, which they said could be rolled out to help extend the life of the other cemeteries.
Stafford councillor Frank Finlay said: 'This gives the chance for those who would like their loved ones to be buried in this cemetery - something they may not have thought possible.'
Another Greenacre system has been installed at the Walsall Burial Park in Burntwood, and there are two in Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
Dennis Millington, Greenacres Solutions general manager told MailOnline there had been interest in the system from numerous councils in the last few months.
'Burials traditionally have been stacked like that anyway, people have had them up to four deep previously but because it's a subterranean pre-installed system it can be used in land that hasn't previously been suitable,' he said.
'We can excavate all of it, pre-install it and it means the land will not subside or collapse.
'We can go deeper than traditionally and it makes it so much easier. We can double the provision of graves in a cemetery.'
In May this year, MPs warned that growing pressures on land for development and farming has left many local councils struggling to find space for burial sites.
Used before: Although it is a fairly new concept, the system has been used in Stafford at the Eccleshall Road cemetery after it ran out of space
Benefits: Stafford Borough Council hopes the new system will stop graves subsiding in land previously thought too sandy
The GreenAcres burial system allows for graves to be stacked between one and four coffins deep, with the land on top covered in grass or a pathway.
New graves are made by digging a plot much larger than the standard burial with room for 12 bodies.
A giant frame is then put in place with walls installed on the frame to create individual plots measuring 9ft by 4ft.
Demand: Originally 12 plots were installed in Stafford, but with ten already having been sold since June, a further 20 to 30 are to be installed in the coming months
Materials: The walls of the structure are made from high strength sheet moulding compound, and can also be used in areas below the water table as they are watertight
The plot is then refilled, leaving one space unfilled ready for the next burial.
If more plots can be added on to the frame if required at a later date without disturbing those already resting.
As the structure is pre-installed it is also suitable for the short-notice burials required by some faiths, while the firm says developments made to the system allow it to be used by the Muslim community.
The walls of the structure are made from high strength sheet moulding compound, which complies with the code of practice for earth retaining structures relating to bearing resistance, earth resistance and structural stability.
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