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Warning to relatives over headstones

by Tom Rowley
27/ 8/2008

OWNERS of graves in Glossop Cemetery with unsafe headstones are being contacted warning them of safety work over the coming months.

This may involve removing or laying flat memorials that are unstable or re-erecting them in a more stable, permanent fashion, which may not be as it was originally erected.

High Peak Council is writing to relatives whose names and addresses it has, but as yet has received very few replies. If no one comes forward to maintain the memorial the council — responsible for safety in the cemetery — will take action.

The work aims to make all unstable memorials safe to national standards, with the test involving a visual inspection, a hand push test and a calibrated push test to 35kg (the nationally recognised testing force).

A council spokeswoman said: "All of the monuments within the cemetery are the responsibility of the memorial owner, who has a duty of care to maintain the memorial safely and abide by the cemetery regulations. It is not the responsibility of the council to maintain memorials. The council will place warning notices on memorials that fail the safety test or that have not been maintained. Members of the public should not approach these memorials. Notices explaining the work have been in place on the notice boards at the cemetery for many months. A list of those graves that require work will be displayed in the Municipal Buildings reception for several months and we shall be placing notices in local newspapers."

Grave deed owners should contact the council to arrange repairs, which must be carried out to the National Association of Monumental Masons (NAMM) standards.

As part of safety work the council will also be removing unauthorised or unmaintained kerbs, fencing, railings, gravel, shrubs and grave gardens.

It will also be reinstating graves with topsoil and seed to lawn them in compliance with regulations.

Any memorial owners or people responsible for its upkeep should contact Terry Redfern on 0845 1297777, extension 2067, especially if a memorial is unstable or more than 10 years old.