PLANS have been announced to build a crematorium in the Hampshire countryside.

Westerleigh Group is behind the scheme at Ridge near Romsey and the company says the new crematorium will what it describes as "relieve congestion" at nearby Southampton- one of the busiest in the UK.

Managing director of Westerleigh Group Richard Evans said the planned crematorium would serve Romsey and surrounding areas of Test Valley.

"People living here do not have a crematorium of their own. they are forced to travel to Basingstoke, Salisbury or Southampton, one of the busiest crematoria in the UK.

"As a result they often face long delays to get a slot for a funeral. When they finally get there, they face a conveyor belt experience, which is not the best way to say goodbye to their loved ones."

Westerleigh is staging an exhibition on its plans in Romsey next week. The exhibition will be at the Crosfield Hall on Wednesday August 12 between 2pm and 8pm.

The company has built thirteen crematoriums across Britain and operate a further 20 around the UK.

And bosses at Westerleigh say the proposed crematorium would be set in woodland and well screen from roads in the area.