Southampton building company Drew Smith has started work on a £1m facility in London to install a new funeral depot and parlour.

The work at Hayes, Middlesex, is being carried out for Co-operative Funeral Service and is the biggest so far of several contracts carried out by the firm for the Co-op.

The depot will service funerals in and around West London and involves building new garages for hearses and ambulances, a new mortuary facility and the refurbishment of a chapel of rest and offices.