THE costs of a major revamp of Worcester's crematorium are expected to rise around 15 per cent to £370,000, it has emerged.

Your Worcester News can reveal how council chiefs are now preparing a bigger budget for the first serious overhaul to the Astwood Road site this century, saying the public deserve a high quality transformation.

The original estimated cost for the project was put at £320,000, but now an extra £50,000 is going into the kitty.

A new report prepared for the Conservative leadership says the council under-estimated some of the work, including the bill for keeping the chapel open while the revamp takes place and the price of new audio visual equipment.

Rather than scale down the project or re-tender for it in a bid to get it cheaper, the council has decided to up the budget to meet those costs.

As we revealed back in April, the changes will mean a redesigned chapel, new reception, waiting room and a cosmetic spruce up of the building and entrance to bring it into the 21st century.

The latest report says work will start at the end of July and be complete in early November, and there will be a period of "up to four weeks" when Astwood Chapel will be unavailable, with the option of alternative facilities available at the Masonic Hall on Rainbow Hill.

Councillor Andy Roberts, the cabinet member for cleaner and greener, said: "I'll be pleased when all this work is done to a satisfactory standard.

"It's an important service because it's there for people who have suffered a bereavement, I'll be pleased when it's done for them."

The changes include ditching the steps at the back entrance and making it wheelchair friendly, as well as a new covered area so people don't get wet as they leave and brand new toilets.

A bigger and better waiting room will be constructed, while another detailed change will be replacing the fixed, wooden pew seats inside the crematorium with flexible ones that can be moved around, with the person conducting each service located next to the coffin.

Fresh floor covering, lighting, a revamp of the entrance canopy, internal decorations, refurbished woodwork and new outside paving and walkways are also included.