COUNCIL HOPES NEW PET CREMATORIUM WILL BRING BIG BUCKS CASCADING INTO ITS COFFERS

                                                                            

Set to open its doors - Grimsby's new pet crematorium

IT will cost £68 to have a rabbit, guinea pig, budgerigar, goldfish, stick insect or other small animal cremated at  Grimsby's new pet crematorium.

Confirmation of this came today from North East Lincolnshire Council which has identified a commercial opportunity - it  believes cash, lots of it,  is to be made from dead pets.

The real money-spinner will be deceased large dogs for which there will be an eye-wateringly high cremation fee of £159.

NELC does not believe there is a significant difference between human and animal funerals so the new facility - complete with its own chapel - has been built next door to Grimsby crematorium at a cost approaching £100,000. 

Says the council portfolio holder for pets, Cllr Stewart Swinburn: "To many, their furry friends are considered to be well-loved family members.

"It is right that, when they pass away, they get a proper send-off and their owners have somewhere to go to grieve their loss.

"I am really pleased we can offer this service."

Any families wishing to use the facility can book an appointment by calling the bereavement services team on 01472 324869.

Each pet will be cremated individually, and owners will receive a certificate of cremation along with the ashes of their pet.

It is not known if a celebrity will be invited to carry out the formal opening. 

The Grimsby News says: There is no prospect of the council breaking even, let alone turning a profit, on this ill-advised project. It is not a core local authority service so why was it even considered? If there had been a demand locally, it would already have been met by the private sector. But the chief objection must be that the initiative is so inappropriate at this particular location. However much they are cherished, animals are not humans and thus cannot be "family members" (unless it is a very peculiar family).  For the council to build a facility for  deceased pets on  the same site as Grimsby crematorium - where, every day, there is much overwhelming grief over the passing of loved ones -  demonstrates an unforgivable lack of sensitivity.