THE first pet cemetery in England to offer a burial service for humans has applied to double the number of cremations it can carry out at the same time.

Rossendale Pet Crematorium is welcoming comments on proposals to increase its capacity by seeking permission to run two incinerators at once.

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The Crawshawbooth facility has more than 3,000 animals, including dogs, cats, horses, hamsters and budgies, buried in its grounds which lies on a tranquil hillside.

On its website, the crematorium states many people prefer their pets to be cremated individually.

Pets may currently lie for a time in the Chapel of Rest while awaiting cremation.

The ashes are then placed in a container or casket, which can then be interred in the Memorial Gardens.

A council spokesman said: “The council has received an application form from CVS (UK) Limited, which runs Rossendale Pet Crematorium, to increase the capacity by seeking permission to run the two incinerators simultaneously.

“The permit to operate will control emissions into the atmosphere to national standards.”

Dog-lover Karl Bartoni led a campaign for the crematorium to be allowed to offer plots for people to be buried alongside their pets four years ago.

The retired escapologist, from Blackpool, wants to be buried alongside his short-haired border collie Barney, who died in 1994, and his dog Charlie.

He contacted various departments at Rossendale Council, and the local authority eventually granted permission for human burials at the Crawshawbooth site.

He has already taken the unorthodox step of having his headstone installed by his dogs’ plots before his death. The inscription describes his dogs as his ‘soulmates’.

Then site manager, Ryan Turner, said the move was not only popular with older people with no family, but also with the younger generation.

The first two people to be buried on the site were John Daniels, and Brenda Owen.

General manager of Rossendale Pet Crematorium, Russell Grey, could not be reached for a comment by the Telegraph yesterday.