I HAVE read with interest the various articles and ideas put forward regarding a lack of space in our cemeteries.

As I understand it, most burial grounds are now run by parish councils, or at least this is the case with Kidlington.

As a widower I am aware of my right to reserve a plot next to my wife, which I duly did at a time of great anxiety and without really thinking. Interestingly enough, I have no desire to be buried, rather I wish to be cremated.

My point is there may be a large number of plots being reserved just so you can be buried alongside your spouse. It is this point that intrigues me.

I read recently of the need to bury our dead over existing graves. Naturally I do not fully understand the implications of this under church law but I think it might be a logical decision to offer the living spouse the opportunity of being buried on top of their loved one, rather than to reserve a plot alongside.

This is very much the case in Poland, where you can find a church in every street but only one active cemetery for new graves in any city or town. It is common place to inter all family members into one grave, or crypt in some cases. The result is that a single family grave will bear the family name and, naturally, those members of the family who are interred.

There is of course an issue with the size of the stone or marker. In the UK I understand that a stone may not be more than three feet in height. In Poland, gravestones are extremely lavish and in some cases amount to small buildings, with some being 20-30 feet tall.

But when space is an issue, upward would seem the logical decision if it resolves the problem.

NICK DUVAL School Road Kidlington