BURIAL space in the cemetery in Helmsley is under pressure because so many people from other parts of the country want to buy plots.

Now the town council will decide what action will be taken. Councillors heard that at present local residents pay £130 to earmark a plot, but people from outside the area requesting a plot have to pay £260.

However, the council said it was concerned about reserving plots for people from as far as Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes, who have applied to buy a plot, often having visited the popular market town.

But Councillor Chris Parkin, the council chairman, said the issue needed further investigation because there would be cases where local residents had moved away from Helmsley to live near family in other parts of the country, but wanted to be buried in the town.