COUNCILLORS in Blaenau Gwent have unanimously supported a proposal to remove burial charges for young people under the age of 18.

A spokeswoman for the council said they don't currently charge burial fees for children aged 16 and under, adding that councillors approved a recommendation to extend this to the age of 18 at a full council meeting on Tuesday,.

Councillor Garth Collier, Blaenau Gwent council’s executive member for the environment, said: “Councillors from all parties were pleased to support this move.

"The death of a loved one is a difficult time for a family and to lose a child is hard to comprehend, so we are pleased to support any move which will support grieving families and not cause additional unnecessary stress.”

The decision is in line with a Welsh Government memorandum signed by local authorities last November.