Addlestone cemetery to run out of space by Christmas

A central cemetery to serve Runnymede could be created after it was revealed that burial plots in Addlestone are set to run out by the end of the year.

Runnymede Council’s leisure and environment committee has voted to scrap the right to buy a specific plot in advance. The next available grave will be offered instead.

Councillors heard on Thursday last week that extending Addlestone Cemetery in Green Lane into the adjacent Simplemarsh Farm was not possible because it was prone to flooding, so a central site for the borough will be investigated by officers. No sites have been yet identified.

Cllr Peggy Broadhead said the move would upset some residents. She said: “It is important for the people of Addlestone that they are buried in the town in which they live.”

Her view was echoed by Cllr Moreton Moore, who said: “I think people would prefer to be buried in their home town rather in a Runnymede free-for-all.”

Funeral director Robert Lodge, chairman of Lodge Brothers in Weybridge, added: “It is important for people to be buried where they live, but Runnymede Council is a well run body and I’m sure they will come up with a solution.”