Mourners watch funerals at Narberth crematorium online

Mourners are viewing funeral services at a Pembrokeshire crematorium online.

Services at Parc Gwyn Crematorium in Narberth can be watched as they take place or for up to seven days afterwards. DVDs can also be purchased.

People will only be able to access the service via a password.

Pembrokeshire council said it would allow mourners who live abroad, or who are ill, to "feel part of a memorial service without being there in person".

Crematorium superintendent and registrar David Seaman, who introduced the idea at Narberth, said about a dozen webcast services had taken place this year.

He said the council was also receiving about two requests each week for DVD recordings of funerals. The cost £41.

"It's no substitute for attending the funeral but it is some consolation," Mr Seaman said.

Now, about one funeral a month is webcast whereas there are approximately 110 funerals carried out monthly at the crematorium.

Coun Ken Rowlands, Pembrokeshire Cabinet Member for Environmental and Regulatory Services, said: "We introduced this new service as an option for family members or friends of the deceased who, for whatever reason, are unable to attend a funeral service in person.

"They may live across the other side of the world, they may be elderly or they may be infirm or unwell.

"Whatever the reason they cannot attend, it can make a difficult situation worse," he said.

Mr Rowlands added that they expected that, as awareness grows for the service which started in 2010, watching the funeral services online would become more popular.

The local authority said accessing the Narberth funeral services on the web was strictly password-controlled by the family of the person who had died.