Mourners who are unable to attend a funeral in person can now watch the event online.

Thanks to new technology, services at Worthing Crematorium can be shown live over the internet for relatives and friends who are unable to travel to the ceremony.

The crematorium is one of the first in the country to offer the webcam service, which was installed in its Kingswood Chapel during a refurbishment.

Ian Rudkin, registrar manager at Worthing Crematorium, said one family, with relatives in Australia, has used the system so far.

He said: "It is a chance for family members to see the service in almost real time, which will hopefully help them to get the closure they need.

"When families are planning a funeral it is often an added pressure to try to accommodate everyone's needs and when different people can attend. This allows those who are unable to make it to the service to still see it and takes some pressure off the family."

A one-off cost of £70 is paid for the service and users are then given a password that allows them to watch the funeral online, with just a 20-second delay, or up to seven days after the event.

Mr Rudkin added: "It is very secure, only the people who are given the username and password by the family have permission to view it.

"This is very new but it is the way technology is going and we are making use of it to help people."

The company behind the scheme Wesley Music, which is based in Kettering, Northamptonshire, also provides crematoriums with the technology to play music without using CDs or tapes and offers DVDs or sound recordings of funerals.

Alan Jeffrey, the company's director, said: "We already supply music for services and over the course of time it became more apparent that there were families up and down the country that had families abroad who were unable to attend the funeral but were looking for some other means of having an involvement and being included.

"We felt that providing we could guarantee the security and dignity of the family involved, so that only invited people can see the broadcast, it was something we should try and develop."

Graham Rounce, of Graham Rounce and Son Funeral Directors,in Half Moon Parade, Worthing, said: ìI think it is a great idea. People's families are spread all over the world these days and often people are infirm and can't make it.

"I don't think it will be used at every service, but choices these days are becoming more varied."

Councillor Graham Fabes, ward councillor for Offington, said: "I think it sounds like a good idea, which is most likely to be used by families who live abroad."

Would you attend a funeral online?