A Sussex crematorium was forced to turn away a bereaved family because their loved one's coffin was too big to fit in the furnace.

The incident took place in Eastbourne last week, The Argus has learned.

It came to light as local government leaders warned that crematoriums across the UK are struggling to deal with spiralling numbers of stouter clients courtesy of the nation's obesity crisis.

Standard coffins range from 16 to 20 inches in width. However, increasingly coffins anywhere up to 40 inches are being ordered to fit larger bodies.

The Sussex cremation was supposed to take place at Eastbourne Crematorium, in Langney, four miles east of Eastbourne town centre.

But the Crematorium, which is run by Eastbourne Borough Council, discovered the coffin was too large for its modestly sized furnace.

In the end the body was sent to Brighton and Hove City Council's Woodvale crematorium, which can handle coffins up to 29 inches in width following modifications seven years ago.

Stephen Horlock, bereavement services manager at the Woodvale, in Lewes Road, Brighton, said he would not comment on individual cases.

But he said that crematoriums were increasingly taking steps to install super-size furnaces to handle the growing numbers of obese people.

Mr Horlock said: "There does appear to be ever-increasing problem with obesity, including in Sussex.

"A lot of people will have to upgrade their cremators when new environmental regulations come into force in 2012 and it seems sensible at that time for them to think about accommodating obese people."

Tim Morris, of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, said: "This is a national issue. It's a medical fact that people are becoming larger.

"We often pick up inquiries from funeral directors looking for an alternative crematorium because the width of the one they normally use isn't wide enough to accommodate a coffin."

The Local Government Association, which represents over 400 councils in England and Wales, warned that local authorities are finding that many of their crematoria furnaces are too narrow to deal with increasing numbers of over-sized coffins.

To combat the problem, many councils are widening their furnaces, but coffins are also having to be transported to other crematoria that can accommodate them, it said.

Hazel Harding from the LGA said: "As long as the nation keeps on piling on the pounds, pressure will continue to be placed on crematoria. This is just another demonstration of how the UK's obesity problem is putting a real strain on public services.

"The death of a loved one is always a difficult time and having to decamp to another area for the cremation just adds to the ordeal. It is important that grieving relatives get the service they deserve and councils are doing what they can to accommodate larger clients locally.

"As waistlines keep on expanding we can expect more and more councils to provide larger furnaces."

Eastbourne Borough Council said it was the council's policy not to comment on individual cases.

But a spokesman said: "We have a set maximum size of cremator and cannot safely accommodate beyond that. The type and nature of cremators, we will consider in line with change in regulation and service demand within our asset management programme."

Around 430,000 people are cremated in Britain each year.

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