LAND Rover enthusiasts can continue to enjoy the “one life — live it” motto as they cross to the other side — in a hearse made from an iconic four by four.

Westhoughton-based Coleman Milne has converted the Land Rover Defender into a funeral vehicle aimed at fans of the vehicle.

The Co-operative Funeralcare is offering the vehicle as an alternative to the traditional hearse.

The black hearse — a specially converted 110 County Station Wagon Tdci XS — is now available for funerals across the north west of England.

Coleman Milne say it enables “the easy, safe and respectful transportation of a loved one” as part of the funeral procession. Operations director David Collingwood, from The Co-operative Funeralcare, said: “Many families like to symbolise their loved ones’ hobbies or occupation by selecting an alternative to a traditional hearse, such as a motorcycle hearse for a keen biker or horse-drawn hearse for an avid horse-rider or perhaps even a farmer or jockey.

“We hope the new hearse will be of great benefit to families of Land Rover enthusiasts or those that just love the off-road terrain, to enable them to give their loved one a fitting farewell.”

Neil Crowther, managing director of Westhoughton-based Woodall-Nicholson group, which includes Coleman Milne, said it was a pleasure to work with the Co-op to create the vehicle.

He said: “Primarily bought as a service vehicle, Coleman Milne has been able to build a bespoke, removable rear deck system adding ceremonial duties to the vehicle’s other varied capabilities.”

Bolton is no stranger to unusual hearses.

Your Chariot bosses, siblings Jessica and Samuel Mortimer, have spent thousands of pounds stretching and adapting a motorcycle trike into a unique five-wheeled hearse. The jet black hearse trike took a year to develop and was adapted by Boom Trikes in Worsley.