Cremations suspended at cemetery for four months

Cremations remain suspended at a funeral facility almost four months after structural problems were found in the building.

Leeds City Council said it could not confirm when operating restrictions would be lifted at Lawnswood Crematorium.

The council said it was still investigating issues at the Otley Road site in Adel, discovered in a routine structural survey last November.

Temporary arrangements mean bodies being taken to a crematoria in Rawdon or Cottingley, with the ashes being returned to Lawnswood for collection following funeral ceremonies.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a council spokesperson said: "We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused at an already difficult time for families and loved ones.

"Detailed investigation works are under way but at this stage we are unable to confirm when we will be able to lift the operating restrictions."

The council said funeral directors had been contacted to advise them of the interim arrangements.

The spokesperson said: "Ceremonies continue as normal, and families are informed of the revised procedures when making arrangements with funeral directors."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North