REDDITCH Council has said it is looking into ways to cut fumes from the crematorium which can produce as much harmful pollution as a car driving twice the length of the UK.

Around 95 per cent of coffins used in cremations are made from chipboard/MDF and funerals using these types of coffins produce the same amount of NOx gas as a car driving 2,280 miles or 3,650 cars driving past the crematorium during the course of a cremation - according to industry magazine Pharos.

Facultatieve Technologies, which supplies the majority of the UK's cremators, is developing technology to reduce NOx gases (nitrogen oxides) - which are a major factor in poor urban air quality.

But this is only in place in a handful of the 307 crematoria across England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man – Freedom of Information responses made to Newsquest’s Data Investigations Unit have revealed.

READ MORE: Are cremations killing us? Deadly pollution secrets of crematoriums

Eco-minded industry figures say the problem has been kept under the radar and Green Party members believe councils across the country and the Government should do more to make cremations greener after the UK Parliament declared a climate emergency last May.

A spokesman for the Green Party said: "We're very concerned about NOx pollution.

"We're in no doubt that cremations are contributing to this problem.

"Bereaved families should be equipped with the information they need to make more environmentally-friendly choices when saying goodbye to a loved one.

"Ironically, people with stoves and log burners are advised against burning chipboard due to the toxic fumes it produces, yet this is precisely what is happening with funerals as the majority of coffins cremated are made of chipboard.

“We shouldn't let the taboo around death prevent us from addressing environmental concerns."

Many councils said they do not currently have deNOx equipment in their crematoria as there is no legislative requirement to do so.

A spokesman from Redditch Council said: "We currently don’t have it but we are currently in the early stages looking at the viability of installing it in our equipment.”