Flintshire County Council has recently completed a memorial safety inspection programme in the following cemeteries:
The Council’s concern is to ensure that any memorial is not in danger of falling over and causing injury to people visiting the cemeteries.
The inspections were completed as part of the Authority’s three year rolling programme across all fifteen cemeteries managed by the Council. During the inspections a total of 198 memorials were categorised as high risk.
As a result of these findings the Authority will be temporarily securing lawn type memorials until such time as grave owners can arrange for them to be repaired. The owners of these memorials will be contacted where possible and notices placed on the memorial.
Older headstones over 1.5 metres high including kerbed memorials which were identified as dangerous will be laid flat and a notice placed on the grave to notify the family why this action is required in the interests of health and safety.
The Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977 empowers a burial authority to take any action that is necessary to remove a danger that arises by means of the condition of a memorial.
Memorial safety inspections have been introduced by local authorities as a result of a number of serious incidents across the UK over recent years.
Throughout the inspection programme the Council has tried to balance the requirement to address the problem of unstable memorials with the need to be sensitive regarding people’s natural concerns in relation to this issue.
This remedial work will begin on Monday 30th August 2010.
Any questions regarding this sensitive matter should be directed to the Council’s Bereavement Services Office. Tel. 01352 703360 or 703361 or 703362.
