Rules and Regulations

Appendix A

Byelaws

In respect of dog bans - cemetery grounds

Byelaws made by Taunton Deane Borough Council under Section 214 and Paragraph 11 of Schedule 26 to the Local Government Act 1972 with respect to the control of dogs in cemeteries.

1. Extent

These byelaws apply to cemetery grounds named in the Schedule hereto and hereinafter referred to as 'the grounds'.

2. Interpretation

In these byelaws: 'the Council' means the Taunton Deane Borough Council

3. Dog Bans - Cemetery Grounds

   1. No person being in charge of a dog shall bring such dog into, or permit or suffer such dog to be brought into or remain in, any of the grounds described in the Schedule hereto:

   Provided that this byelaw shall not apply

   • to a blind person in respect of any guide dog accompanying him;
   • to any person attending a funeral or remembrance in respect of any dog which is at all times led by a strap or chain; and
   • to any person residing in premises within the bounds of any grounds described in the Schedule hereto.

   2. Notice of the effect of these Byelaws shall be given by signs displayed in conspicuous positions at the entrance to each ground.
      
   3. An Officer of the Council or any Constable may require a person in charge of a dog which has entered the ground to remove the dog from the ground.
      
      
4. For the purpose of byelaw 3 above, the keeper of the dog shall be deemed in charge thereof, unless the Court is satisfied that at the time when the dog entered or remained on the grounds it had been placed or taken into the charge of some other person. 'The keeper' shall include the owner of the dog or any person who habitually has it in his possession.
   
   
5. Any person offending against these byelaws may be removed from the grounds by any Officer of the Council or any Constable.
   
   
6. Penalty

Any person offending against these byelaws shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the Standard Scale.

Schedule

'The grounds' referred to in Byelaw 1 are as follows:

• St James Cemetery, Staplegrove Road, Taunton - West side of Staplegrove Road, Taunton - North of the junction with Richmond Road.
• Taunton Deane Cemetery/Crematorium, Wellington New Road, Taunton - South of Wellington New Road, Taunton.
• St Mary's Old and New Cemeteries, Wellington Road, Taunton - North and south sides of Wellington Road, Taunton.
• Wellington Cemetery, Rockwell Green, Wellington - South side of the Wellington to Exeter A38 road, adjacent to Hilly Head, Wellington.

Sealed with the Common Seal of the Taunton Deane Borough Council this Twelfth day of October 1988 by the Order and Direction of the Council at a meeting held on the Sixth day of September 1988 in the presence of:

J J Thornberry, Secretary and Solicitor

DET 9039

The foregoing byelaws are hereby confirmed by the Secretary of State for the Environment and shall come into force on 1 August 1989.

P G Iredale, A Senior Principal in the Department of the Environment.
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State
11 July 1989

Appendix B

Code of Cremation Practice

1. Conduct
   
   The cremation of a human body is a highly emotional occasion for those taking part in the service. This must never be forgotten by the staff of the Crematorium, who must combine to create and maintain an atmosphere of reverence and respect throughout the entire proceedings.

2. Staff
   
   The greatest care must be taken in the appointment of members of the Crematorium staff, any of whom may, by conduct or demeanour, detract from the atmosphere of reverence which it is endeavoured to create. All staff employed in the operation of cremators must be suitably trained in the technical and ethical procedures and certificated as specified in the Secretary of State's Guidance Notes of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 or any subsequent legislation made thereafter.

3. After Committal
   
   1. A body shall not be removed from the Crematorium after the Service of Committal except for a lawful purpose.
   2. Subject to receiving the necessary Authority to Cremate, the coffin and its contents shall be put into the cremator exactly as they have been received on the catafalque. All cremations will be completed within 24 hours of the receipt of the coffin at the Crematorium. A body not cremated on the same day as the coffin is received at the Crematorium may only be retained overnight on the written consent of the Applicant for cremation or in exceptional circumstances deemed necessary by the Cremation Authority. All bodies retained at the Crematorium will be accommodated in secure and sanitary conditions within the building.
   3. Once a coffin with its contents has been placed in the cremator, it shall not be interfered with until the process of cremation is completed. On completion the whole of the Cremated Remains shall be collected and, following their reduction, shall be disposed of in accordance with the instructions received.

4. Correct Identity
   
   1. No coffin shall be accepted at any Crematorium unless it bears particulars of the identity of the deceased person contained therein. If a coffin is encased, the cover and coffin must bear adequate identity of the deceased person.
   2. Every care must be taken to ensure correct identification throughout the whole proceedings from the moment the coffin is received on to the catafalque until the final disposal of the Cremated Remains.

5. Separately Cremated
   
   Each coffin given to the care of the Cremation Authority shall be cremated separately.

6. Coffin Covers
   
   When a re-useable cover is used to encase a coffin, a signed authority must be given by the Applicant for the cremation authorising its use and consenting to its subsequent removal from the Crematorium.

7. Metal Residues
   
   Any metal found amongst the Cremated Remains shall not be salvaged for any purpose but shall be disposed of in aggregate in accordance with the directions of the cremation Authority or Higher Authority.

8. Cremated Remains
   
   The utmost care shall be taken to ensure that the Cremated Remains, following their removal from the cremator, shall be kept separate and suitably identified. The Cremated Remains shall be reduced and placed in a separate container. If the Cremated Remains are to be disposed of in a Garden of Remembrance, this shall be conducted with reverence and respect. Cremated Remains to be conveyed by a carrier service should be placed in a suitably labelled robust container and dealt with according to recommendations laid down by the Federation of British Cremation Authorities.

9. Cremators and Ancillary Equipment
   
   Cremators and all ancillary equipment used at the Crematorium shall be kept in good repair and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations and the requirements of the current Guidance Notes issued under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 or subsequent legislation.

10. Statutory Regulations
    
    All cremations shall be carried out according to the provisions of the Cremations Acts and the Regulations made there under and any subsequent legislation.

Issued October 1999.

Appendix C

The Federation of British Cremation Authorities

Instructions for Funeral Directors

1. Responsibility

The Funeral Director shall observe the regulations of the Cremation Authority. The Funeral Director is responsible for the provision of sufficient bearers to convey the coffin reverently from the hearse to the catafalque. When the coffin is in position on the catafalque or deposited in the rest room or Chapel of Repose at the Crematorium the responsibility of the Funeral Director towards it ceases and that of the Cremation Authority begins.

2. Construction of the Coffin

The coffin must be made of wood or a wood by-product which, when placed in a cremator and subjected to the accepted cremation processes, is easily combustible and which does not emit smoke, give off toxic gas or leave any retardant smears or drips after final combustion. No metal furniture or fittings whatever shall be used on a coffin for cremation. No metal of any kind shall be used in the manufacture of such coffin except as necessary for its safe construction and then only metal of a high ferrous content. Cross pieces must not be attached to the bottom of the coffin. If it is desired to strengthen the bottom of the coffin, wooden strips may be placed lengthways for this purpose. The coffin must not be painted or varnished but may be covered with a suitable cloth. Products manufactured in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) must not be used in the construction of the coffin or its furnishings. The use of polystyrene must be restricted to the coffin nameplate only in which case it must not exceed 90 grams in weight.

3. Lining of the Coffin

The use of sawdust or cotton-wool must be avoided. If circumstances require, suitable sealing material may be used, but no metal, rubber or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) will be permitted and on no account must pitch or similar substance by used.

4. Size of the Coffin

Where the external dimensions of a coffin are likely to exceed length 85 inches; width 30 inches; depth 25 inches the proper officer of the crematorium must be given advance notice.

5. Notice of Cremation

The Funeral Director must observe the Cremation Authority's regulation regarding the length of notice to be given for a cremation and the time of the cremation, as agreed, must be strictly adhered to. All statutory and non-statutory forms and certificates, as required by the Cremation Authority, must reach the crematorium office by the specified time.

6. Cremation of Infants

In cases when bereaved parents desire the cremation of the body of an infant, they should be warned that there are occasions when no tangible remains are left after the cremation process has been completed. This is due to the cartilaginous nature of the bone structure.

If the warning is not given the parents may have been denied the choice of earth burial and thereby subjected to understandable distress.

7. Cremated Remains

The utmost care should be taken when dealing with cremated remains. If the Funeral Director supplies an urn or casket for cremated remains it should be of sufficient internal dimension to provide a minimum of 200 cubic inches (3,280 cubic cm) and securely labelled. The container should be strong enough to resist breakage in transit. The lid must fit tightly and the fastening should be strong enough to prevent the lid being forced open by distortion of the container through maltreatment in transit.

8. Plaster casts must be removed prior to cremation.