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It brings a new meaning to the expression "going out with a bang".

A new company from Essex is offering a post-cremation ceremony - packing the ashes into rockets and firing them into the sky.

Starting at £1,500, Heavens Above Fireworks offers three different types of ceremony

There is the spectacular farewell, which involves rockets, aerial mines and star shells.

Alternatively, there is a gentle service with "tranquil" fireworks and roman candles. Or clients can opt for Go Out With A Bang - an explosion with emphasis placed on the dramatic. The displays can also be synchronised to music.

Company founder Fergus Jamieson, 57, of Stonards Hill, Epping, says he is already dealing with a number of inquiries since he thought of the idea late last year.

"I heard this woman ring up Radio 4 and she said, 'I wish I could go up in a firework when I die' and I started thinking about it. I thought, there's an idea, I wonder if it exists,'' he said.

An engineer and marketer by trade, he decided to investigate whether there was a market and began discussing the request with funeral directors.

"Funeral parlour employees were mentioning that people had been ringing in trying to find someone to do this rocket thing for ages and they didn't know quite how to handle the requests."

He added: "I think we've got the wrong approach to death, we should all be celebrating people's lives.

"Already people are telling relatives they have put a request for a fireworks send-off in their wills."

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..when she finds me in bed with the babes, she promises to shoot me...