FAMILIES will barred from pre-buying graves in Weston Cemetery under new council conditions.

Cheshire East cemeteries with less than 20 year's worth of grave supply left are to come under the stringent new rules which were passed by Cheshire East's Cabinet meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

Unless there is medical evidence that a grave needs to used within a year, plots will be preserved to protect the long-term capacities of cemeteries.

Weston has only 19 years of capacity left; the only other borough cemetery which will be affected by the change is Sandbach, which has eight years left of available space.

Crewe's council-run cemetery Meadow Brook has 175.

Crewe councillor Jill Rhodes, Cheshire East's portfolio holder for health, says the borough has enough capacity for 30 years from its 11 cemeteries, but warned "individual cemeteries will run out of space before this".

She said: "The policy will stop all pre-purchasing of graves with cemeteries with less than 20 years of supply.

"It does allow pre-purchasing where there is medical evidence of a grave needing to be used within a year. This policy will become more effective as time goes by."

Elsewhere, Alderley Edge has 55 years of estimated capacity, Congleton 88, Macclesfield has 56, Nantwich 24 and Wilmslow has 28.

The changes will only affect council-run cemeteries, not those operated by churches, or town or parish councils.