A NEW crematorium will open in Newport later this year after a funding deal was secured by its Bristol-based developers.

Westerleigh Group have announced a £25 million loan from Lloyds Bank is supporting the development off Magor Road in Langstone and seven others across the UK.

The new site, which is set to open in October, will aim to alleviate pressure on Gwent Crematorium in Cwmbran, which is currently the only crematorium in the region.

It will include a chapel, 94 parking spaces and 20 overflow spaces, with the aim of serving communities in Monmouthshire as well as Newport and Torfaen.

Newport City Council had approved the plans to build the crematorium on the 5.2-hectare site in February 2016,

Dafydd John, finance director at Westerleigh Group, said: “We pride ourselves on the outstanding service and care we provide to the bereaved, and the opening of our new sites will enable us to serve more communities across the country. We’ve banked with Lloyds for a number of years. Their support has been invaluable in helping us to expand our services.”