THE funeral division of the United Co-operatives Society has ordered 56 specially adapted Vauxhall Vectra Estates for use as funeral vehicles.

The organisation is Britain’s third largest funeral provider and operates 163 funeral homes in the North West, Yorkshire and Northern Ireland.

It has ordered the 120bhp 1.9 CDTi-engined Vectra Estates from specialist converter Wilcox Limousines, which adapts about 100 cars a year for Vauxhall.

The vehicles are converted by widening the interiors and installing folding decking on rollers, which can be raised and covered to provide a conventional estate car for general funeral duties.

David Collingwood, general manager of the Funeral Division of United Co-operatives, said the order had replaced a variety of vehicles on the fleet, including converted ambulances and other estate cars.