Respect vow over graves

Councillor Ann Bernard, responsible for the district's cemeteries, made the promise after the council agreed last week to spend £10,000 re-testing unsafe headstones. It is thought that over 1,000 gravestones are classed as unsafe.

Any grave memorials which fail the risk assessment will be laid flat with the inscription face-up.

Testing was carried out two years ago in Cannock Cemetery and Wolseley Road Cemetery in Rugeley.

Despite numerous appeals to grave deed owners, the vast majority of unsafe memorials have not been repaired. Now owners are being given until August to fix the memorials or the council will lay them flat.

Councillor Bernard confirmed the council would carry out this new round of testing using its own machine and will be employing a dedicated officer to investigate the problem.

She said: "This council has a duty of care to its own staff and visitors to the cemeteries and as a responsible authority we must take action to minimise any risk. Any headstones which are laid flat will be done so with the utmost respect for those buried in the cemetery and their friends and families.

"Cemeteries in other areas have looked like a tornado has gone through but that won't happen in Cannock."

Councillor Bernard said officers would use weedkiller to prevent headstones being overgrown and would trim grass around the grave site.

She added: "The grave deed holders are responsible for maintaining their graves and memorials. If this council was to carry out the repairs itself it would cost £170,000 which would add 3.5 per cent on the council tax. If we used the £10,000 cost we have allocated for staff and re-testing it would take 17 years to repair all the headstones."