Grave concerns: Cobh cemeteries running out of burial plots

Cork County Council has banned the pre-selling of plots due to the shortage in spaces available in the graveyards in Cobh

Graves at the Old Church Cemetery in Cobh. File Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Fears that grave spaces will run out in a coastal community have prompted a ban on pre-selling plots and an increase in cremations is leading to another shift in policy.

Concerns have been raised by councillors that the Cobh area could soon run out of burial plots. Its population has boomed to more than 13,000 and is increasing further, prompting additional fears about the long-term situation around graveyard spaces.