WORK has been completed on a churchyard extension at the St John the Baptist Church in Somersham.

The churchyard was handed over on November 4 at the conclusion of the four-week initial ground work project, completed by Mick George Ltd.

The extension will remain fenced off from general access for the next 18 months, while Somersham Parish Council landscapes the area to prepare it for burials before handing it over to the church.

The work involved the importation of soil to increase the land levels, install land drainage, carry out work to the spring and pond area, install a weir, lay the footpath and grass-seed the topsoil.

Further work will be required to restore the jointly-owned boundary wall to the west before the extended churchyard area can be accessed.

Parish council chairman Councillor Steve Criswell thanked Mick George Ltd for the work, adding: “This is a major milestone in our project to provide the burial ground needed for many years to come.”