Families experience cremation delays

Rochdale Cemetery entrance

Families looking to cremate their loved ones are having to wait around three weeks due to delays.

A local funeral service told Rochdale Online that only one cremator has been working since March, with bodies having to be sent to Oldham and Middleton, with a three-week delay for funerals.

Both cremators at the crematorium have had issues this year, which Rochdale Online’s source says is due to the council refusing to fix the broken cremator properly.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/128763/rochdale-cremator-due-to-be-repaired

However, the council has said the delays are not due to a refusal to fix or fail to repair the cremators.

A spokesperson for Rochdale Borough Council said: “As previously reported, we have had issues with both cremators this year.

“Both got repaired only for one to suffer further major damage to its lining. This required a specialist contractor to be employed and involved a partial relining of the cremator. This was done and the cremator was recommissioned.

“Unfortunately, during a weekend of heavy rain, the cellars at the crematorium flooded causing damage to a compressor and two motorised valves on the newly repaired cremator taking it out of commission again.

“The parts for this aren’t off the shelf and had to be specially ordered in.

“We have been experiencing delays, but it isn’t as a result of us not repairing the cremators or refusing to repair the cremators.”