A council is set to launch a pet cremation service for animal lovers.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council plans to install a cremator for pets at Bradwell Crematorium, after identifying a 'gap in the market'.

The service would give local people the chance to say goodbye to their pets in peaceful surroundings while generating an income for the authority.

According to a council report, the UK pet funeral industry is now worth more than £100 million a year and growing rapidly, 'as animal lovers go to ever greater lengths to celebrate the life of their beloved pets'.

While there are privately-run pet crematoria elsewhere in Staffordshire, including Holmes in Heaven, in Eccleshall, and Green Pastures, in Uttoxeter, local councils in the area do not currently provide the service.

In 2018 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council became the first local authority in England to offer pet cremations.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council approved proposals to create a garden of remembrance for pets at Carmountside Cemetery as part of its 2025/26 budget, but the authority has no current plans to offer pet cremations.

Cabinet members at the borough council will be asked to approve the outline business case for a pet cremator at their meeting on Tuesday.

The report to cabinet states: "Research by Statistica.com and Savills shows that there is a growing market for pet cremation provision both nationally and locally given that there are only a small number of providers offering a dignified animal disposal service.

"Existing providers are all based outside the borough, thus leaving a gap in the provision available to our communities."

The council says that the 'enhanced level of service' will include collections from vet practices and the option to say goodbye from an oak-framed private room.

The cremator, which will run on hydrotreated vegetable oil, will be able to handle animals up to 50kg in size, with a secondary chamber for smaller pets.

Councillor David Hutchison, cabinet member for sustainable environment, said: "We are a nation of animal lovers; dogs, cats, rabbits and other species can be as much a part of the family as any other member which is why we're looking to further support residents, like other councils have, by introducing a pet crematorium.

"There is a growing requirement for this specialist provision, especially locally where there are a limited number of options available some miles outside of the borough.

"Like human cremations, the aim is to provide a professional, bespoke service but I would like to stress that the facilities would operate separately from each other, with absolutely no crossover.

"Our proposed premium service for pets is significantly above and beyond what's available on the market, including a guaranteed return of individual ashes."

Financial details, such as the cost of the project, are included in a confidential report, which will be discussed by cabinet members in private. But according to the public report, it is 'strongly believed that [the cremation facility] will become a net income generator for the council'.

Councillor Stephen Sweeney, cabinet member for finance, added: "Providing a pet crematorium in Newcastle would fill a gap in local provision while supporting wider service delivery for residents as set out in the Corporate Plan."

The pet crematorium will require a licence from Defra and planning permission.