Laying gravestones flat 'necessary' - council leader

More than 1,300 gravestones in Heaton Cemetery have been laid flat

A council leader has said laying flat hundreds of gravestones was necessary for safety reasons.

More than 1,300 memorials at Heaton Cemetery in Newcastle were laid flat after being deemed at risk of falling, leaving bereaved families "devastated".

Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp said he sympathised with upset families, but the measures were necessary to comply with safety standards and avoid the risk of death or serious injury.

He added details of an inspection programme were "widely publicised" and efforts had been made to contact loved ones where possible.

Safety checks, which began in Newcastle’s cemeteries last summer, have so far identified more than 1,800 potentially hazardous memorials.

This includes the 1,326 laid down in Heaton, and a combined 485 at Jesmond Old Cemetery and the West Road Cemetery.

'Crass and insensitive'

The decision to lay the memorials flat before Christmas provoked a backlash from bereaved relatives.

Local Lib Dem councillor Greg Stone told the Local Democracy Reporting Service there had been “a lot of pain” caused by the safety inspections.

Mr Stone, whose Manor Park ward covers Heaton Cemetery, said: “I understand that the council needs to take safety into account, but it is the way this has been done [that has caused concern].”

He added: “To me, it seems to have been crass and insensitive. Everyone understands that there are formal risk assessments to be done.

"But just going in there and flattening thousands of gravestones has caused a lot of pain for people in the city.”

'Respect and sensitivity'

Mr Kemp responded: “I have a lot of empathy with those who have raised concerns around the city council inspection programme and understand how difficult this has been for families affected.

"I too would be saddened if the headstone of one of my loved ones had been laid down, but I know that those responsible for the inspections do so with the greatest of respect and sensitivity."

The remaining sites to be inspected are:

• All Saints Cemetery, Jesmond

• Hollywood Cemetery, Gosforth

• St John’s Cemetery, Elswick

• Lemington Cemetery

• North Gosforth Cemetery

• St Andrew’s Cemetery, Jesmond

• St Nicholas Cemetery, Fenham