BEREAVEMENT services in the borough are officially the best in the UK.

The team, part of WLCT who deliver the service on behalf of Wigan Council, has been named the best performing cemetery and crematorium service in the UK for the second year running.

APSE Performance Networks, the UK’s largest voluntary data benchmarking service for UK local councils, announced the Best Performing and Most Improved Performers for 2014 at an awards ceremony in Blackpool.

WLCT beat competitors including Manchester City Council, Knowsley MBC and Oxford City Council to win the award, which looks at criteria including cost, quality and productivity.

Stuart Murray, chief executive of WLCT, said: “This award is testament to all the hard work that the Bereavement Services team do to provide a quality service for the people of Wigan and Leigh and I am delighted that we have once again received this national recognition.”