More than 1,000 babies in borough's mass graves

More than 1,000 stillborn babies are buried in mass graves across a borough.

They were interred at Frankby, Plymyard and the Landican in Wirral between 1935 to 1981, Wirral Council said.

Councillor Ian Lewis told a meeting this week that "with the benefit of hindsight it should never have happened".

Like Oldham Council, the authority has said it wants put its one million burial records online, which would offer hope to families still searching for where their babies were buried.

Wirral Council has held a number of services over the years providing support for families, while staff at its cemeteries have worked hard to help families try to locate their loved ones.

A memorial plaque was also installed by the local authority in 2023.

Before the 1980s, it was common practice across the UK that when a woman had a miscarriage or a stillbirth, hospital staff would quickly take the baby away and buried it in one of the communal graves.

Matthew Humble said Oldham and Wirral councils were doing far more than other authorities around the country who had a similar history of communal graves, adding: "It would be helpful if the government did support local authorities in seeking to address this issue in a meaningful way."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service writes that two campaigners for an apology also addressed the meeting.

Gina Jacobs, who gave birth to her son Robert in 1969, was inspired to locate her baby at Landican cemetery in Wirral after 53 years after watching a BBC programme.

Over 1,000 babies are buried at the Landican alone.

'Box with string'

Mrs Jacobs told councillors stories of fathers who had to carry their stillborn children on the bus in a box tied up with string and families who had been unable to find where their child was buried despite having the receipts for the burial.

"I dread to think what I would be thinking if my baby couldn't be found," she told councillors.

Diana Williams, who lost her son John at Clatterbridge Hospital in 1971, thought he was buried at Barnston, but later discovered he was buried in Landican.

Mrs Williams added: "Nobody knew and that is really hard to take in. It really is, the parents weren't consulted on most things."

Councillor Grahame McManus told the meeting his family had been personally affected.

He said: "We have looked for that auntie for years and years and we have never been able to find her.

"Maybe now we will have a chance."