Grave 'vandalism' turns out to be council's work

Church staff found 25 headstones had been pushed over on 30 October

Church staff reported an "apparent act of vandalism" to police when they found headstones had been pushed over in their churchyard - only to find the work had been done by the local council.

The 25 headstones were laid flat in the burial ground at St George's Church in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, prompting Reverend Denise Owen to share photos on Facebook, blaming vandals.

Tameside Council then contacted the church and said the memorials had been moved for safety reasons, apologising for not giving them advance warning.

A church spokesperson said: "Whilst we are extremely relieved that this was not vandalism, we feel that the distress and anger should have been anticipated and the families should have been notified."

Ms Owen said the headstones were moved sometime between 27 and 30 October.

After the damage was reported to police, Tameside Council called Ms Owen to tell her that a churchyard inspection had been conducted and "a number of memorials were identified as unsafe".

The council said in a statement: "To ensure public safety, staff took immediate precautionary measures by carefully laying these memorials flat."

"A number of memorials were identified as unsafe", Tameside Council said

While confirming the incident had not been an "apparent act of vandalism", a church spokesperson said that necessary notice had not been given by the council.

A post on the church's Facebook page said: "Dukinfield Crematorium services carried out checks of local graveyards to check the stability of gravestones without our permission or knowledge.

"They did not advise the families and they did not advise the vicar."

According to Tameside Council it is "standard practice to communicate with churches ahead of inspections".

It said: "We sincerely apologise to the church, and affected families for not providing prior notice on this occasion - we understand the distress this may have caused and have since been in contact with Reverend Owen.

"A follow-up visit is planned to reinstate the memorials with temporary supports."

The church thanked locals who offered their support