Extra Graves For Southall

The graves lie east to west, pointing towards the Kaaba, the Islamic shrine at the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

The site was authenticated by Imam Bismillah before a small gathering including Bashir Ahmed from the Abu Bakr mosque on Southall Broadway and cemeteries manager Elaine Robinson from Ealing Council.

Dalawar Chaudhry, who is campaigning for a low-cost, privately-funded Muslim cemetery in Southall, welcomed the move.

He said: "I think this is a very caring initiative that the council has taken. It's something that's absolutely necessary and we've been asking for it for some time now.

"This is a case of better late than never and it's a step in the right direction."

Mr Chaudry said he still plans to move forward with plans for a separate cemetery: "We now have Southall MP Virendra Sharma on board so we will continue to make progress on plans for a separate site."

An Ealing Council spokesman said: "The council has been working with a local funeral director since 2006 to make suitable provisions for the additional plots.

"We have recently allocated space in the cemetery for a further 50 graves as part of our long term plan to increase burial space for all faiths.

"The Imam from the local Mosque has been fully involved and has authenticated the site."

Last month Muslim and Christian graves at the Hortus site were desecrated in what police described as an attack on faith.