A £200,000 transformation of Worcester's cemetery has been officially backed - paving the way for a radical overhaul.

The city council's Conservative cabinet has voted in favour of plunging the six-figure sum into a long-awaited revamp of the Astwood Road site.

The decision means the facility will now see its first upgrade in over a decade, and follows a chaotic few months during which the appearance of parts of the graveyard was heavily criticised.

Members of the cabinet, speaking during a meeting last night, said they are determined to make the cemetery and crematorium a "landmark" site worthy of its history.

Councillor Andy Roberts, cabinet member for the environment, said: "We had a lot of problems in the spring but a considerable amount of work has been done since then, not only outside but inside.

"It was in a pretty sorry state but things have improved dramatically, and I must pay a lot of credit for that, particularly to the volunteers.

"The people who work and help at the cemetery want to get it up to 'Green Flag' standard, to make it more than just a graveyard, but a place people want to visit.

"It's got a strong story to tell but at the moment we're not telling it."

He said the £200,000 fund is not fixed, and there is flexibility in the budget if the end bill spills over that figure.

"I can't stress enough that we want to get the views of people and approach this as broadly as we can, we want to get it right," he said.

Councillor Roger Knight, a backbench politician, turned up to say he wanted the chapel to be made "warmer" and more inviting, a call backed by Councillor Joy Squires, Worcester's Labour parliamentary candidate.

"I spend more time at Astwood cemetery than I'd like to really, I guess a lot of us are in that position," she said.

Councillor Lucy Hodgson, cabinet member for customer services, said: "I welcome this - by making this investment we'll go a long way to having a cemetery and crematorium the whole city can be proud of."

It will lead to a redesigned chapel, revamped reception and waiting areas and a range of cosmetic improvements to the main building and entrance.

New floor covering, seating and lighting, internal decoration, refurbishments to the chapel woodwork, fresh outside paving and improved walkways are also part of the package.

The council is planning more consultation with the cemetery's forum before finalising the work, which will take place over the summer of 2015.

Earlier this year the cemetery was criticised for the untidy, long grass on patches of the site, which the council blamed on the wet weather.

But since then the new Conservative leadership, which took over in June, has used a beefed-up maintenance schedule to get it under control.