Council moves flooded grave after widow's plea

Pauline Hamilton lost her husband to Covid-19 two years ago after being married for 50 years

A widow has told how her husband's grave was dug up and moved from one end of a cemetery to another because it kept getting flooded.

Pauline Hamilton said she was having nightmares because she felt as though her husband had been laid to rest in a "swamp" in Burrs Road, in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.

She said it was becoming impossible to visit that part of the graveyard due to flooding.

Tendring District Council, which is responsible for the cemetery, said it had covered the cost of the move.

Ms Hamilton used to wear knee-high boots when visiting the cemetery because of the mud and water

Mrs Hamilton was married to her husband John, better known as Jake, for 50 years before he died of Covid-19 two years ago.

Mrs Hamilton said she had fought to get the grave moved.

She said she spent about £2,500 on the funeral and burial and could not afford to pay any extra costs.

The council covered the cost for Mrs Hamilton and other families who had found themselves in the same position last year.

'I used to have nightmares'

Mrs Hamilton said: "It was horrendous but there was no other option. We couldn't get to the grave due to the flooding.

"It was like a swamp. I felt like I had left him in a ditch. I used to have nightmares about it.

"He had only been dead for about a year and the whole thing made the grief harder."

The grave has been moved closer to the entrance and the new location is unlikely to flood.

It was moved last year and Mrs Hamilton said: "It is a much better spot."

Pauline Hamilton called for her husband's grave to be moved to a different part of the cemetery to stop it getting flooded

The council spokesperson said the issue was caused by natural factors outside of its control.

It said the hot summer in 2022 and a "relatively dry winter" impacted the clay-based soil.

"We have taken this matter very seriously and have taken steps to try to ensure this does not happen again, including remedial works to add in more soil to assist with natural drainage," said the spokesperson.

“We would like to take this opportunity to again apologise to those families affected by this issue.”