TETBURY will have no room for new graves unless alternatives are found, officials have warned.

The town is currently facing a ‘critical shortage’ of burial space, Tetbury Town Council have revealed.

According to the council, the town’s primary burial ground, St Saviour’s Churchyard, is down to its last six available plots.

Once the space is taken, the town will be left without the capacity for any future burials.

There is also currently no land available to establish a new burial ground.

During a public meeting held last Wednesday, September 4, residents were told the town council is investigating alternative sites within the town’s boundaries.

This includes part of Tetbury’s recreation ground located off New Church Street, which has been identified for testing to see whether the land is suitable for burials.

There are also other challenges facing the potential burial site including land ownership, land restrictions plus Sport England and the Environment Agency concerns.

Meanwhile, there are also fears that the existing St Saviour’s burial site could reach full capacity before a new site is opened.

However, the situation has been made more complicated due to a change in burial site zoning guidelines by the Environmental Agency.

A zoning change has placed Tetbury in a SPZ2 - source protection zone 2 - which makes finding new potential burial sites within the town increasingly complex.

The council has stated any solution will take considerable time and financial resources.

The process of acquiring land, securing permissions, conducting tests and planning processes could also lead to delays in making a new burial ground available.

Tetbury mayor Peter Coleman said: “We understand the importance of this issue to the community, and we are doing everything in our power to find a viable solution.

“However, the challenges we face in terms of land ownership and the necessary permissions mean that it will take time to provide a new burial site.

“We will continue to update residents as the situation evolves.”

A full council meeting with more information about the situation is due to take place on Monday, September 23 at Tetbury Library.