WORK on a new multi million pound electric crematorium will start in the next two weeks.

Hambleton District Council says the state of the art crematorium will have a "revolutionary"

electric cremator to cut emissions and reduce the area's carbon footprint.

It's being built by contractors Willmott Dixon on a 22-acre site near Busby Stoop, between Northallerton and Thirsk. The council say it is close to both the A1 and A19 and will include a service hall for up to 120 mourners plus additional room for standing. There will also be an entrance foyer, waiting lobby, offices and a family room.

The single storey centre will also have a wake facility and café with views out over the Hambleton hills. Once completed the site will also have a memorial garden, meadows and a wooded area making it a calm and peaceful place for reflection or for the scattering of ashes. The council says it will serve the local community as a place of remembrance for people of all faiths and cultures, and, fit sensitively into the surrounding landscape.

Leader of Hambleton District Council, Councillor Mark Robson, said: "I’m delighted we are getting this much needed and significant development underway. Undoubtedly, this facility is vital for our district, with mourners currently having to travel at least 40 minutes to lay their loved ones to rest, and often having to wait lengthy times to get a slot which is an added strain at an already difficult time."