Shrewsbury's Emstrey Crematorium bought out in multi-million pound deal

At present, the Shrewsbury crematorium is run by Co-op Funeralcare, which leases and manages the site on behalf of Shropshire Council.

Now the running of the site has been acquired by Sutton Coldfield-based Dignity PLC, along with four others around the country, for a total of £43 million.

As part of the deal, which will see Co-op re-invest the proceeds in its funeral home estate, Dignity has also taken over sites in Glasgow, Sheffield and Lichfield, plus another leasehold crematorium in Stockport.

The deal for the Emstrey and Stockport sites must now go through a public consultation process because of the nature of the deals, and must be ratified by the local authorities.

Mike McCollum, chief executive of Dignity, said: "This acquisition will allow us to extend our crematoria network into new geographical areas.

"It represents a good investment for Dignity, using cash already held by the group, and supports our continued growth."

Richard Lancaster, managing director of Co-op Funeralcare, added: "This agreement is key in allowing us to further invest in providing essential funeral services to our members and customers in communities across the UK as we have done for over 100 years.

"With a limited presence in the overall market, our crematoria operation is a small part of our business, operating distinctly and separately from our funeral homes.

"The sale will enable us to invest in making our funeral home services more accessible, both in terms of our presence in new communities and by enhancing our customer proposition and services."

The Co-op has funeral homes in Shrewsbury, Whitchurch and Leominster.