A MUSLIM cemetery has finally been given the go ahead after red tape delayed the project for two years.

The burial ground at Southport Road, Chorley, is set to open in late summer after county councillors agreed to lease land next to the existing cemetery to the borough council.

It means Muslims in Chorley will no longer have to travel to Preston, Blackburn or Bolton to bury loved-ones.

Max Allam, of the Chorley Muslim Welfare Society, said: "This means so much to our people.

"We try and bury our dead as soon as possible, within 24 hours if we can, and this will make it that bit easier to arrange."

The land, currently part of the Woodlands Conference Centre, joins on to the existing cemetery which will be full within 10 years. Three-quarters will be used for the whole of the community and the remainder will be specifically dedicated to Muslim burials.

The idea was first mooted two years ago, but testing had to be carried out before it was deemed suitable.

County councillors initially backed the idea, but then temporarily withdrew the site while they looked at alternative uses.

But this week, county councillor Tony Martin, cabinet member for resources, finally rubber-stamped the lease on the two-acre plot. He said: "I am pleased we have been able to find a way of helping the borough council make provision for Muslim burials in Chorley."

The Muslim burial site could last for up to 20 years and will be landscaped and should look exactly the same as the rest of the cemetery.

And borough councillor Chris Snow, chairman of the ethnic minorities consultative committee, said: "I am absolutely delighted. This project has taken some time, but I am pleased it is finally going ahead."