Plans to extend a cemetery in the Western Isles by around 850 lairs have taken a step forward after Western Isles Council appointed a contractor to undertake the £233,000 works.
The work at Sandwick Cemetery will, however, not begin until the current restrictions relating to the coronavirus pandemic are lifted.
Sandwick Cemetery is the largest operated by the local authority in the Western Isles and is located on the outskirts of Stornoway.
It has been split into two sections – an older section and a modern stretch that runs by the A866 Stornoway to Portnaguran road.
A Western Isles Council spokesman said the work to great 850 new lairs was “part of the normal extension of lairs to manage the future use of the burial ground” adding that the provision of lair capacity was “essential”.
“The current Covid-19 situation has delayed the start of this contract, but it will be resumed when we move out of lockdown,” he added.
Duncan Mackay and Sons Ltd, a long-established civil engineering business on Lewis, will undertake the work.
The firm employs over 40 full-time members of staff with seasonal fluctuations allowing for further boosts to the local job market.
The cemetery includes 36 Commonwealth graves related to the First World War, including nine unidentified sailors of the Royal Navy, together with a further 24 further burials related to the Second World War.
