CEMETERY bosses have said they are close to clinching a deal which will bring a new graveyard to Kidderminster.

A site on Minster Road is being looked at by council chiefs eager to find extra burial spaces because the existing Kidderminster Cemetery, off Park Lane, has little room left.

The new location - which joins the Stourport Road and is situated between Firs Industrial Estate and the refuse tip - is likely to feature a garden of rest where relatives can scatter the ashes of their loved ones.

The new cemetery would be one and half times the size of the present one.

Soil tests are being carried out by Wyre Forest District Council officials on the land, which they are looking to use as a cemetery for the next 25 to 30 years.

Head of cultural, leisure and commercial services Andrew Dickens said: "In terms of location, as well as size, we think it is suitable for all of Wyre Forest.

"It is a nice location and is the best one we have found."

Mr Dickens said the cemetery would be designed for current needs and would accommodate "green" burials - where the deceased is laid to rest in a cardboard coffin and remembered with a tree instead of a headstone - as well as having areas for Muslims and other religions.

Headded the site, currently used as farmland, would be put into use once the 161-year-old Kidderminster Cemetery was full.

Mr Dickens said: "We are in negotiations with landowners so we can carry out trials to see if the land is suitable."