PEOPLE from Ilminster cannot be buried in the town’s cemetery anymore due to a lack of space.

The announcement was made at the annual Ilminster Town Council meeting and it means people from the town may have to be buried at Taunton cemetery.

Cllr Stuart Shepherd, chairman of the open spaces committee, told the council that the remaining plots at the ceremony have already been reserved for burials, with only room left for eight ashes plots and a small headstone.

It means grieving families may have to make a round trip of 25 miles to pay their respects to their loved ones.

Ilminster Town Council said it is looking into alternative solutions, and has contacted the district council for assistance. Cllr Shepherd said: “The recommendation from the open spaces committee group is that no further burial plots are sold and remaining land is used for ashes plots. It looks like there is a lot of space up there, but these are reserved plots.”

Cllr Shearman said: “We are not the only town in Somerset that have this problem.”

Town Clerk Joy Norris said she had discussed with representatives from Taunton cemetery if they would accept people from Ilminster, to which it said it will “accept people for burial from anywhere in the world for a flat rate.”

Former councillor Sophie Storey noted the problems with the cemetery when she announced that she would be standing down from her position on the council.

“There are a lot of big projects that don’t seem to be moving very fast,” she said.

“We have been talking about a rec review since I came into the town council, but we haven’t put the money in the budget for it. We have got issues with the cemetery, but again we haven’t put money in the budget for that.”

Councillors have said they are “actively looking for solutions”, with news that an option working with South Somerset District Council looking at the possibility of a district area cemetery is currently being explored The town council approved the four recommendations including from the cemetery sub-committee.

Firstly, that no further burial plots are sold and remaining land is used for ashes plots.

Second, that a small strip of land is used for a row of eight ashes plots and that the new cremation plots have flat headstones, and finally, the development of a positive communication strategy.