'It was disgusting': family arrive at Southern Cemetery to find loved one's grave buried under mound of soil
Raymond Evans, 69, said his late partner Diane's grave was covered with boarding and heaped with earth dug up from a nearby plot. A remembrance cross was moved and a photograph damaged. He is calling for families to be warned in advance.
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A family say they were left disgusted and angry after arriving at Southern Cemetery to find a huge mound of soil dumped on top of their loved one's grave.
Raymond Evans, 69, from Levenshulme, went to visit the grave of his partner of 40 years, Diane Evans, on Friday. Diane, who worked at a primary school at lunchtimes, passed away in hospital in February aged 67 and was buried at the cemetery in March.
But when Raymond arrived at the Barlow Moor Road site, he found a scene he described as "devastation." Workers had been digging a new grave two plots away and had placed boarding flat over Diane's grave before heaping the excavated earth on top. A remembrance cross was moved and a photograph of Diane was damaged.
What did he say?
Raymond said: "My partner's grave is under this. They'd dug up a grave two graves away and took everything off our grave to dump the soil dug up on top of it. You can imagine the great stress caused."
He added: "We didn't even have a grave to look at. Warnings would have been nice. We were not told about it. They said that there was no other space, but there is. They could have put the soil somewhere else."
He said: "They said it would only be temporary, but it is a bit disrespectful. It could have, and should have, been handled differently. The cemetery should let people know in advance of things like this being done and show more respect really. That's all it would take."
What did the council say?
Manchester City Council, which owns and maintains Southern Cemetery (the largest municipal cemetery in the UK and the second largest in Europe), said burial activity is "a routine and essential part of operating a working cemetery."
A spokesperson said: "We recognise that families may find it upsetting to see excavation works taking place close to the graves of loved ones. However, where graves are closely situated, there are limited practical alternatives to the methods used to safely carry out burial activities."
On advance warnings, the council said: "Burial activity is an ongoing part of managing a working cemetery and burial locations and timings
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why was soil placed on the grave at Southern Cemetery?
- Manchester City Council states that temporarily placing excavated earth on adjacent plots is a standard safety practice when digging new graves in tightly packed areas.
- Who manages Southern Cemetery in Manchester?
- Southern Cemetery, located on Barlow Moor Road, is owned and maintained by Manchester City Council's Bereavement Services Team.
- Will the council replace items damaged at gravesides?
- The council reviews reports of damaged graveside items on a case-by-case basis and may assist with repairs or replacements where deemed appropriate.