Queen’s funeral sees cemeteries close, supermarkets shut and driving tests cancelled

Grieving families forced or asking to postpone loved ones’ farewells

Cancer surgery and cardiology appointments due on Monday have been cancelled after the Queen’s funeral day was declared a bank holiday, leaving patients distressed and bewildered.

But public services that are being cancelled go beyond the NHS.

Some councils are forcing grieving families to postpone their loved ones’ funerals while driving tests are also being put off.

Members of the public file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire)

Bin collections face widespread disruption, and leisure and sport facilities will close as staff are given the day off.

Have you been impacted by cancellations due to the Queen’s funeral? If so email jane.dalton@independent.co.uk

Many shops, including the big supermarkets, cafes and cinemas will also shut for the day and public transport will be reduced, as on other bank holidays.

Bin collectors in swathes of places from Cornwall to Wolverhampton, and from London to Sheffield, Leeds and Yorkshire will be given the day off.

And recycling centres and tips are also likely to be shut on Monday.

The queue by the London Eye (AP)

Funerals will be cancelled in more than half a dozen areas, including in Watford, Preston and Luton, because crematoriums will not be open.

There is no formal requirement for funerals, burials or cremations to be cancelled on the day of the Queen’s funeral, but some services are being cancelled at the request of individual families.

Caerphilly council in Wales said all funerals planned for Monday would be rescheduled, but it said graveyards would stay open.

Belfast City Council says its cemeteries will be open although there will be no cremations or burials. Final farewells will also be cancelled in Belfast and Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (Getty Images)

Birmingham City said its cemeteries and crematoria would remain open but warned the public of a reduced service.

Many councils are honouring bookings, and others are offering to let families change the dates of ceremonies.

The government says disruption to services such as weddings and funerals should be minimised where possible.

But the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said it would suspend all but “essential services” in recognition of the state funeral and bank holiday.

It means all practical and theory driving tests will be cancelled. The agency said it would contact all learners affected.

Anyone with a practical test appointment will have their test automatically rebooked for the first available date after that.

King Charles III arrives to stand vigil beside the coffin of his mother (PA Wire)

Bus services are due to switch to Sunday timetables, meaning fewer services as staff take the day off.

Roadworks, street cleaning, social services and housing repairs will all also be disrupted.

Public lavatories are likely to close, as are council buildings where the public can view planning applications.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association, which represents more than 350 councils across England and Wales, said: “Councils are having to take into account a number of factors before making any decisions about what services and events continue on the bank holiday.”

The queue for Westminster Hall to see the Queen’s lying in state stretched for five miles on Friday afternoon and is set to grow ahead of Monday’s funeral.