Many cemeteries around Huddersfield are now full with only a handful of places left at several others.

And Kirklees is warning that the newest one off a rural road not far from Castle Hill could also be full within 17 years.

The cemeteries in Kirklees that are full up already and closed to new burials include Almondbury, Edgerton and Kirkheaton.

Lockwood cemetery has just 12 plots remaining and could be full within a year.

Slaithwaite cemetery has just 23 spaces available and could run out of room in three years’ time.

The new Hey Lane cemetery between Castle Hill and Farnley Tyas, which opened in November 2013, conducted 86 full burials last year or about one every four days.

However, Heckmondwike cemetery in Kirklees still has 900 spaces, which will take an estimated 113 years to fill.

But Kirklees Council predicts it will be at capacity within 17 years, according to a freedom of information response to the Examiner.

A Kirklees spokeswoman said: “Whilst the figures presented are accurate, the council maintains an appropriate level of burial sites by forward planning. The Hey Lane cemetery was developed to ensure we would have enough space when Almondbury, Kirkheaton and Lockwood reach capacity.

“Hey Lane will provide main burial capacity for South Kirklees for next 17 years based on current burial rates. During this 17 years, as part of our forward strategy and planning we will be looking for future burial sites to ensure burial capacity is maintained across the area in the future.”

In Calderdale there appears to be slightly less of a rush for plots.

Still the council predicts Brighouse, Elland, Rastrick and Sowerby Bridge will be at capacity within 20 to 25 years.

Experts have been warning for years that towns and cities in Britain and other developed countries are facing a looming shortage of burial plots.

A BBC survey in 2013 found that almost half of England’s cemeteries could run out of room within 20 years.

Dr Julie Rugg, a member of a cemetery research team at the University of York, said at the time: “It’s not just a London or a big town problem. Even small parish councils are wondering how they are going to cope when land runs out.”

Burial figures in Kirklees