Prevent groundwater pollution from home burials

Human burials can pollute groundwater if you don’t follow this guidance.  

Human home burials

You do not need permission from us for home burials of a person but a burial must:

• be located outside a groundwater source protection zone 1 (SPZ1)
• be at least 50 metres from any well, borehole or spring
• be at least 10 metres from any field drain, including dry ditches

• have at least 1 metre clearance between the base of the burial hole and the top of the water table – they should not have any standing water in them when dug
• be deep enough so at least 1 metre of soil will cover the top of the coffin or body

• not be dug into bedrock
• not be in an area at risk of groundwater flooding – this is when the water table beneath the ground rises and causes water to seep out at ground level (it is often seasonal)

You should contact your local council to let them know you are planning a home burial. You may need to speak to the environmental health department.

You can find further information on private land burials on the Natural Death Centre website.

Disposing of ashes

You do not need permission to scatter ashes from a single cremation on your own land, or make any formal record of doing so. You should seek permission from the landowner if you want to scatter ashes on someone else’s land.

If you scatter ashes across surface water you should:

• make sure the effect on the environment and wildlife is minimal and not affect other watercourse users
• not include casting wreaths or memorabilia as they may harm the environment and wildlife