The bill states that "offenders will be held responsible for their acts"

But officials in the Brazilian town of Biritiba Mirim, 70km (45 miles) east of Sao Paulo, have gone far beyond that.

They plan to prohibit residents from dying because the local cemetery has reached full capacity.

Mayor Roberto Pereira says the bill is meant as a protest against federal regulations that bar new or expanded cemeteries in preservation areas.

"They have not taken local demands into consideration", he claims.

Mr Pereira wants to build a new cemetery, but the project has been stalled because 98% of Biritiba Mirim is considered a preservation area.

A 2003 decree by Brazil's National Environment Council forbids burial grounds in protected areas.

'Ridiculous'

Biritiba Mirim, a town of 28,000 inhabitants, not only wants to prohibit residents from passing away.

The bill also calls on people to take care of their health in order to avoid death.

Of course the bill is laughable, unconstitutional, and will never be approved

Gilson Soares de Campos, aide to the mayor

"I haven't got a job, nor am I healthy. And now they say I can't die. That's ridiculous," Amarildo do Prado, an unemployed resident, told local media.

The city council is expected to vote on the regulation next week.

"Of course the bill is laughable, unconstitutional, and will never be approved," said Gilson Soares de Campos, an aide to the mayor.

"But can you think of a better marketing strategy to persuade the government to modify the environmental legislation that is barring us from building a new cemetery?"

The bill states that "offenders will be held responsible for their acts". However, it does not say what the punishment will be.