FUNERAL processions will be re-routed to Catshill when the town's new cemetery opens in December.

The Bishop of Dudley has been invited by Bromsgrove District Council to consecrate the site off Barley Mow Lane, on Friday, December 6.

Burials can then begin at the new 'North Cemetery' which will feature car parking facilities, footpaths, a new entrance and fencing.

Cemeteries in Church Road and Church Lane are now virtually full, with only 130 burial plots remaining.

Tonight (Wednesday), at the district council's executive cabinet meeting, members will be asked to approve plans to refuse further applications for the pre-purchase of plots.

The restriction would only apply to graves because there is still a few years supply of plots for cremated remains.

If the scheme is supported, people wishing to buy their final resting place must choose a plot at the council's third cemetery in the district.

However, until North Bromsgrove Cemetery is "fully on stream," there will be sufficient space in Bromsgrove Cemetery to accommodate all burials in the coming months.

The 12-acre site is former farm land and was purchased from the local health authority.

Community chiefs hope to stagger the number of burials during the first months of its use.

A spokesman said that grass seeding needs to develop, further planting is required to reduce the cemetery's stark appearance and facilities are needed for use by staff and for the storage of equipment. The council must also buy a mechanical digger and train staff to use it.