WORK to upgrade Stourbridge Crematorium is to be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The £2million project, which was due to get underway this spring, is now expected to go ahead later in the year.

The revised project was granted planning approval on March 31, although it has been on the cards since February 2018.

At the start of this year it was discovered the £1million project would cost double the original estimate when further required works were found - taking its total cost to £2million.

Councillor Ian Kettle, Dudley's cabinet member responsible for bereavement services, said: “The work at Stourbridge Crematorium was due to take place in the next few weeks but given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic we are looking to push the work back to later in the year.”

The work will see the chapel building, which opened in 1960, refurbished to accommodate two new, larger cremators.

The crematorium is currently one of only a small number in the country still operating the type of cremators currently installed and a report published ahead of the council's January 6 cabinet meeting said the current cremators had gone "past their intended operational life" and parts have become increasingly difficult to source.

As part of the works an extension will be added to the crematorium building which was adapted from an old chapel on the site dating back to the 1870s.

The extension, which has been designed with future maintenance and plant replacement in mind, will have new doors leading to an ashes collection reception and for maintenance access to the cremators.

The refurbishment works to the chapel entrance will involve raising floor levels to create extra seating in the chapel.

Existing external canopies will be taken down, ramped access to the arrival area for the funeral cortege will be installed and new canopies to accommodate a horse drawn hearse to pass under will be added. The canopies will also have glazing to the roof to shine light over the funeral cortege.

Internal works will create a new larger waiting area with improved toilet facilities, while a new access ramp will provide access to the Book of Remembrance room, staff room and the cremator chamber for those who wish to witness the cremation process and for maintenance access.

Provision will be made for electric vehicle charging and paving will be provided around existing accessible parking bays.

Bat roosting boxes and swift nesting boxes will also be included to enhance facilities for wildlife.