Mock funerals are going to take place so council officials can make sure it’s safe to bury people after dark.
Burials at the The Vale and Rothesay Road currently only take place up until 3.30pm, but the council wants to keep the cemeteries open until 6pm, all year round, “to improve customer service”.
Late afternoon funerals in autumn and winter will have to take place under floodlights, and a council report says mock floodlit funerals will be carried out as part of a full risk assessment to ensure the safety of staff and the bereaved.
Longer opening hours will mean more funerals can be covered by fewer clergy, the report says, and will also reduce traffic congestion at The Vale.
The floodlights are going to cost the council £2,000, and the authority will charge £50 every time they are used, which should bring in £1,300 a year.
Weekend burials were introduced in 2007.
The report adds: “The purpose of these objectives is to improve customer services to the bereaved at the least cost.”
Increasing the opening hours will cost the council an extra £4,000 a year in staffing costs.
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