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How a shortage of burial spaces can lead to greener graves

Analysis: Roads and railways could be lined eco-graves as Britain runs out of room for traditional funerals 

Chris Baynes
Thursday 04 July 2019 20:43 BST
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Many graveyards in England and Wales are expected to be full within five years
Many graveyards in England and Wales are expected to be full within five years

As living humans voraciously consume the planet’s dwindling resources, our dead are also running out of space.

Britain’s graveyards and cemeteries are rapidly filling up and there will be precious few plots left for burials within five years, a leading public health expert warned on Friday.

He is not the first to sound the alarm about this looming problem. A 2013 survey of local authorities found almost half were expecting to run out of burial space in the next two decades. Many graveyards have been forced to expand onto neighbouring land and do away with trees or lawns to make more room.

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