Work on extending the cemetery alongside Cheddar Reservoir is almost finished, with the ground having been levelled and landscaped, the car park surfaced and tree and hedge planting complete.

All that remains to be done is for the new ground to be seeded in the spring. Most of the area will be grassed as the existing cemetery, with the western end of the site, where green burials will take place, seeded with a wild flower mix.

Councillor Lyn Goodfellow, who has been co-ordinating the work on behalf of Cheddar Parish Council, said: "We have planted more than 50 silver birch trees and laid a hedge of native species right round the site to make the cemetery as tranquil and natural as possible."

It had been hoped to complete all planting before Christmas but the extreme wet weather since the autumn made working conditions for the ground contractors very difficult and delayed the project.

The new area is now ready to accommodate burials but, because the surface is still largely bare earth, it will be kept fenced off until after the spring when the new seed has taken, apart from actual burial services.

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