Families upset as hundreds of headstones laid flat

A total of 1,326 headstones have been laid flat during council safety inspections

Bereaved families say they are "devastated" after hundreds of headstones were laid flat over safety concerns.

Gravestones in three cemeteries have been laid flat by Newcastle City Council – with two thousand more found to be in need of repair during recent inspections.

However, some people with loved ones buried in Heaton Cemetery have hit out at the council for not contacting them directly in advance.

The council said notices about the work had been placed in cemeteries before the work and added that when a gravestone was found to be in need of repair efforts were made to contact the last known owner of the plot.

Notices about the work were displayed by Newcastle City Council in advance

Jo, who did not want her surname disclosed, said she was heartbroken.

“I got a phone call to say my mam’s headstone had been pulled over by the council. It broke my heart and I’m not like that. I don’t cry for nothing," she said.

“I’ve passed the cemetery loads of times since and I have been too scared to come in. But here I am now and I am devastated."

Newcastle City Council said every headstone in the city's 10 cemeteries was being inspected to ensure there were no risks to the public.

Inspections have so far been carried out in Jesmond Old Cemetery, West Road Cemetery and Heaton Cemetery, with staff carrying out visible inspections and "hand tests" to check stability.

'Totally disrespectful'

So far, out of 25,014 memorials examined, 3,236 were found to be in need of repair and have been marked with yellow caution notices. Around one third of those have been laid flat.

“My mam’s been dead for 38 years and we’ve always maintained her grave, and this is what we get,” Jo added.

“[Newcastle City Council] could have least have warned us. It’s totally disrespectful. This is the only place we’ve got to remember them.

“Now what do we have to do? Pay more money to get them back up. What about people who haven’t got the money?”

Lynn Davidson, from Heaton, says her grandmother, mother and sister were all buried in the same plot. Their joint headstone was removed and laid across the grave.

She said she did not see the yellow notices about the inspections taking place, despite visiting regularly.

“I was devastated, I couldn’t believe it. When we were walking over to the grave I could see something and I said ‘what’s that on the grave?’ And I just got myself totally upset.

“At first I thought it was just ours but we had a walk around the cemetery and there are tons.”

Ms Davidson said she had been told it would cost between £350 and £400 to have the small headstone repaired.

“What about the people who haven’t got anybody?” she said. “What’s going to happen to theirs? They’ll just be left, and that’s so sad.”

According to the council if the plot owner is unable to afford the repair after 12 months, or if they cannot be found, then the memorial is likely to be laid down - with the inscription face up - for more permanent safety.

In a statement the authority said inspections had begun in June to ensure cemeteries were "safe places for people to pay their respects and for our staff to work in".

“We understand this is an emotive and sensitive subject but we would like to reassure families that the work is carried out with the greatest respect and sensitivity," they said.

“We always try to contact the last known owner should their headstone need to be repaired but please appreciate this may not always be possible."