The body and coffin are turned into powder after being dipped in liquid nitrogen at minus 196° C.

The scheme is hailed as an environmentally-friendly option to burning bodies. After the pieces become brittle, they are put on a vibrating pad to disintegrate. Then a metal separator picks out items such as artificial hips and tooth fillings.

The dust is then put in a small biodigradable box and either buried in a shallow grave or given to relatives. The process, called promession, is set to be offered in Preston, Lancs.

Officials and councillors think it is a greener and cheaper method than cremation.

Assistant director of environmental health Craig Sharp said: “We heard about the new technology which is in full-scale operation in Scandinavia. It produces the same outcome, which is in ashes but through very low temperatures. There are no airborne emissions.”

The method was developed in Sweden, where promession is set to become the most popular way of disposing of bodies by next year.

Installing the equipment in Preston is likely to cost around £1million. Funerals should cost about the same as cremations.