A STOURBRIDGE funeral directors has doubled its mortuary capacity and upgraded its facilities with new state-of-the-art equipment.

John Adams, of the National Association of Funeral Directors, officially opened the upgraded facility at H. Porter & Sons in South Road before recently bowing out as president of the NAFD.

The upgrade, commissioned last April, also includes the creation of a new coffin workshop, floral tribute storage and team changing areas.

As a result of the project the funeral firm, which is marking its 180th anniversary this year, has doubled its mortuary capacity and installed the latest clinical-standard equipment used for the care of the deceased in procedures such as embalming and make-up.

The revamp has also included a second-floor purpose-built archive area, which will be used to safely store company records – as well as ashes before they are returned to families.

The floor also includes office space which could be used to divide staff into teams to minimise the risk of disruption to services should another emergency like the Covid-19 pandemic occur.

Lucy Porter, owner and director of H. Porter & Sons, added: “We wanted to create a space that truly meets the needs of modern families, representing the very best standards in funeral care.

“Access to the mortuary is now via digital code, which only authorised team members possess.

“I also wanted to ensure the facilities work for our staff, which is why colleagues have played a key role in designing the layout and siting of equipment.

“We’re extremely proud of the end result.”

She said the upgrade had been planned to start in spring 2020 but it was delayed due to the pandemic and she added: “The disruption was very frustrating but it enabled us to rethink the overall design and create something that has made us more resilient to future challenges as a business.”