Piling on may solve UK's grave problem

LONDON — The British government approved the reuse of grave sites Tuesday to ease overcrowding in cemeteries, many of which are expected to reach capacity within decades.

Under the procedure, cemetery managers would be allowed to exhume old remains, deepen a grave and rebury the remains, leaving space on top for a second corpse.

What happens to the headstone would be up to local authorities, but the Ministry of Justice, which is behind the change, said one possibility was adding a second occupant's name beneath the first.

Reuse would be permitted only where graves were more than 100 years old and the permission of the family had been sought. Approval was not necessary if the family could not be contacted.

England and Wales are expected to run out of burial space in 30 years, although urban areas may run out of room sooner. London is 12 years away from reaching its capacity, the ministry said.

Despite cremation rates of more than 70 percent, Britain buries about 150,000 people a year.