Blackburn with Darwen Council's Conservative group has forced a review of the authority's proposed increases in charges for burials and cremations.

The Conservative group is accusing the council's Labour bosses of seeking to 'profiteer from death'. Now the planned rises will have to be reviewed by a special committee.

The authority's Conservative group has 'called in' the proposed increases which borough environment boss Cllr Jim Smith estimates at around six per cent from January 1. He blames sky-rocketing energy prices which have put up the costs for bereavement services.

The latest move, by Livesey with Pleasington Conservative Cllr Mark Russell, follows him submitting a similar call in request over the council's proposed increase in charges for all parking in Blackburn town centre.

At the beginning of the month, Cllr Smith proposed increases in burial and cremation fees expected to generate an additional £130,000 annually.

They included rises for an adult cremation from £920 to £980; for a grave purchase from £1,450 to £1,600; and for a single burial from £590 to £630.

Cllr Russell's 'call in' request, backed by five other Conservative councillors, says: "The proposed increases are too large.

"The crematorium and cemeteries between them have been budgeting to make annual profits in the region of £1 million, so these increases make Labour appear to be profiteering from death.

"The decision fails to get basic maths right - it states grave prices are increasing by 6.08 per cent but they are actually increasing by an unjustifiable 10.34 per cent."

Cllr Russell said: "Labour already budget to make a huge profit from the crematorium and cemeteries so these increases are not justified.

"I think residents would be surprised to learn how much profit the council budgets for from the cemetery given we regularly receive complaints about the upkeep of it.

"The proposed increases amount to an unnecessary death tax on bereaved families in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis."