A THIRD crematorium could be built in Oxfordshire.

The £3.5m project is being proposed for Garford, west of Abingdon.

The county’s existing crematoria are in Oxford and Banbury.

The complex, off the A338 Wantage Road, would also have a garden of remembrance and a cemetery area.

The company behind the project, Memoria, of Stratton Audley, near Bicester, said it would serve a population of 190,000.

The private firm already runs five crematoria, in County Durham, Essex, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire.

Business development director Jamieson Hodgson said: “There’s definitely a massive demand in the area. We’re confident it’s the right location.”

A planning application has been submitted to Vale of White Horse District Council.

Funeral director Ben Tonks, of Tonks Brothers in Ock Street, Abingdon, welcomed the plan.

He said: “Oxford Crematorium has got a bit of a monopoly and has had it for a long time. It will be a good thing for everyone to have more competition.”

Roger Barker, of R & H Barker funeral directors in Wantage, said journeys to Oxford Crematorium, in Headington, took him an hour.

He said: “It will mean less traffic, less trouble, and it’s a private company. I am all for supporting private companies.”