Grieving relatives have been left devastated after rain caused thick mud to swamp their loved ones’ graves at a Blackheath cemetery.
Visitors to graves in Powke Lane Cemetery have had flower displays on graves washed away by a tide of muddy water.
One relative has asked for a body to be exhumed after getting upset about the mud and dirt showering carefully selected decorations. Others have struggled to even get to the graves, claiming they have slipped and stumbled in mud several inches deep, leaving their clothes sodden.
Around 25 graves have been affected at the council-run cemetery and residents fear they could be ruined if action is not taken shortly, with further showers predicted over the next few days. Fed-up Wednesbury resident Christopher Emms, who visits his mother Janet’s grave regularly, said every time he visits he has to take a container of water and a brush to clean off the mud.
He said: “The place is like a quagmire. These graves that are getting mud all over them are relatively new. My mother’s has only been there for 11 months.
“However, they have all been positioned at the bottom of the hill which means the water has been just running down like a stream. A lot of people are upset about this.
“In fact I would say some elderly people cannot even get to the graves. I have to wear heavy boots.”
Mr Emms said he had complained to grave staff about the lack of drainage as he felt a better system should be in place to cope with the rainfall better. He added that he knew of one family who had asked to have a body from the grave exhumed and moved to another cemetery because of the mud.
He added: “I’m not sure who they were but it shows that there are problems if this happens.”
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods Councillor Mahboob Hussain said: “Officers have been out to check this section of the cemetery this morning.
“Obviously the tremendous amount of rain we’ve had in the past few weeks is bound to affect ground conditions, especially in areas such as this, which experiences surface water running down the steep hill, especially during heavy downpours.
“We have installed extra soakaways at the bottom of the hill to ease the situation. A new grave has been dug ready for a burial today and the area will be returfed as soon as the weather permits.
“I would ask people to bear with us during this exceptionally wet weather.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and doing all we can in the circumstances.”
One of the worst-hit areas in the recent floods was Allerton Lane, in nearby West Bromwich, where residents were stranded on the top floor of their homes.
Three feet of water gushed through living rooms and kitchens causing thousands of pounds’ worth of damage.
The roads across Sandwell were also plunged into chaos including Roway Lane in Oldbury and the Yew Tree Estate in West Bromwich as drains burst when they failed to cope with torrential rain.
2 Comments
You would have thought the rain itself would have given any official with a hint of common sense the idea to think ahead, but…….
Thanks for all your comments, they are appreciated. The rain the last few weeks as of course been quite torrential, but, this flooding as been happening since the new section was opened and for the past year since laying my mother to rest we have been swamped with mudslides even when the rain is quite light. Drainage should have been sorted before burials went ahead. And to start burials at the bottom of the hill instead of the top, just does not make any kind of sense. The Councillor as obviously put most of the problem down to the recent floods, but as I have stated, this problem was there well before that. We need this sorted NOW. I speak not just for my family, but for other relatives too. It’s quite distressing enough losing my mother without having to put up with all the problems and excuses.