BEREAVED Clackmannanshire families may need to consider alternative options as Falkirk Crematorium won't be fully open to the public from August.

Wee County funeral director Tommy Roy, from Roy & McIntyre Funeral Home, wants to make Wee County residents, who wish to cremate a loved one who passed away, aware so people can avoid disappointment and added stress at an already difficult time.

Falkirk Crematorium, the closest service to the Wee County in Camelon, is set to receive a £3.2 million facelift from August with works expected to finish early next year.

There will be no public access to the crematorium building and chapel, which were built in 1964, throughout the renovation so no funeral services will be held, but cremations will continue – meaning that those who wish to cremate a loved one there will have to say their final goodbyes after the church service.

The next closest option available is Dunfermline Crematorium, around 17 miles away, or Perth Crematorium, which is much further, around 35-40 miles from Clacks.

Mr Roy said: “Although the refurbishment does not allow mourners to attend a cremation, they are reducing the fee by 50 per cent during operations from August for five months.

“I think it's important at the moment that people understand and realise what's going to be happening and it will be here in no time.

“You can have a service in Alloa, but then the coffin is taken over by the funeral director for cremation.”

Cremation charges at Falkirk Crematorium are currently £920 with no music and £1084 with music. The Dunfermline Crematorium charge at the moment is £642 plus an organist and a cremation at Perth costs £749 plus an organist.

Mr Roy continued: “Falkirk Crematorium [costs] £1084 for someone from [the Wee County], if you stayed in Falkirk you would get it maybe a few hundred Pounds cheaper – they get subsidised, where we don't.

“So it seems to be that people from the Wee County are getting hammered no matter where they go.” There are no subsidies for local residents in Dunfermline and Perth.

He added: “People need to be aware that come August, they've got a major problem and there's quite a lot of cremations from this area, rather than burials.”

Burial costs are higher than cremations, a lair in Clackmannanshire currently costs £726 with an additional internment cost of £703. The prices recently increased by 25 per cent at the beginning of this month.

The capacity of the chapel at Falkirk will be increased to 200, the buildings will be completely refurbished and additional car parking is already in place.

While the crematorium is expected to reopen for mourners in January, the replacement of the cremators will take an additional four months, meaning works will be fully complete in May 2017.