Water cremation (resomation) in the UK: legal status, cost and availability

What water cremation is

Water cremation, known technically as alkaline hydrolysis and commercially as resomation or aquamation, breaks the body down using water and an alkali rather than flame. The body is placed in a pressurised vessel containing a solution that is roughly 95% water and 5% alkali — typically potassium hydroxide — and gently heated. What remains is bone, which is processed into a fine ash and returned to the family, just as ashes are returned after a flame cremation.

The legal position across the UK

The picture differs by nation, and this is the single most common point of confusion:

• Scotland: legal since 2 March 2026, when the relevant regulations came into force — the first UK nation to permit water cremation.
• England and Wales: not yet lawful. The Law Commission is reviewing the legal framework for new funerary methods, with a draft Bill expected during 2026.
• Northern Ireland: not currently permitted.

Availability: legal does not yet mean offered

Even in Scotland, no water cremation has taken place yet. Before a provider can offer the service it must secure planning permission for a facility, obtain consent from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to discharge the waste water, and meet the standards set out in the new regulations. The Scottish Government has estimated this will take six to nine months, with the first procedures expected during 2026.

The environmental case

The main argument for water cremation is environmental. A conventional flame cremation produces roughly 320kg of CO₂; water cremation is reported to emit several times less, and it avoids the mercury emissions associated with flame cremation. For families weighing the environmental impact of their choices, this is the principal draw.

What it is likely to cost

There is no established UK price, because no facilities are operating. For comparison, the median UK direct (flame) cremation currently costs £1,545, drawn live from 2,843 published CMA Standardised Price Lists. In countries where water cremation is already available it is typically priced at a similar level to, or slightly above, a flame cremation. As UK providers begin to offer the service we will publish their prices on this page, sourced and dated like every other figure on the Index.

Your options today

Until water cremation is available, the lower-impact, lower-cost option already on the market is a direct cremation, which avoids a procession and a large service. You can also compare cremation versus burial on cost and other factors.