Daughter’s anger after dad’s Hawkesbury grave is flooded

[Melisandre]

I dont understand why the council dont plant trees where its flooding to take up the water it would be far cheaper.

[dutchman]

I dont understand why the council dont plant trees where its flooding to take up the water it would be far cheaper.

Then they would have sweep up leaves which is too much trouble. They're cutting them all down around here, which is also a floodzone.

[Melisandre]

They could use Acer trees their leaves leave a lovely colour on the ground then soon decompose quickly or small dwarf conifers slow growing evergreen not deciduous .

[dutchman]

Burial space at major Coventry cemetery set for new drainage works after floods



BURIAL space at a major Coventry cemetery is set for works to improve drainage after several severe floods while its future has been secured for the next 40 years.

The latest phase for developing Lentons Lane Cemetery has been announced by Coventry City Council.

The council’s cabinet members will be asked to approve funding of £2.1million when it meets on August 28.

A council spokesperson said a ‘fundamental’ part of the project will be to install ‘extensive drainage’ as well as greater access for those with limited mobility.

The council estimates work on site – including new roads and paths – will take approximately 15 months to complete.

Use of the land as a burial space at the cemetery will extend from its current six to nine year span to 35 to 40 years, the council says.

The extension will include reclaiming land previously used for agricultural purposes to maximise grave space.

The council says work will include surface drains to move water to a ‘retention reed bed for natural filtration’.

The project will be undertaken in consultation with the government’s Environment Agency.

More work is also planned in the existing burial space to help ensure surface water drains away as quickly as possible after heavy rainfall.

[dutchman]

'Exposed coffin' and flooding at Lentons Lane cemetery leaves families horrified



A Coventry Imam hit out at conditions of a city cemetery which have left bereaved families unable to reach the graves of loved ones.

Imam Shaykh Nabeel, of Coventry's Al-Madinah Mosque, told CoventryLive Lentons Lane cemetery has been a "mud bath" for months.

And in some cases it has been unsafe for families to navigate the water-logged site, leaving them to stand on the roadside while the burials takes place.

It has also led to funeral cermonies being cancelled at the last minute because of what the Imam claims are flooded graves.

Imam Shaykh Nabeel is at Lentons Lane at least three times a week due to rising numbers of deaths in Coventry's Muslim community.

Speaking to CoventryLive this week, Imam Shaykh Nabeel said: "The main issue we have with the Lenton's Lane graveyard is the water, water within the graves, normally when we go to do burials, eight times out of ten, there's water in the graves.

"It can be from 1ft to 4-5ft of water which is almost the full depth of the grave, we've got the pumps in there to try and get out the water, but we've had a few instances where the body has had to be taken back as they can't do the burial."

For Muslim burials, the situation holds religious implications as they aim to have bodies to be buried within 24 hours of a person's death..

The religious leader said the situation had caused such distress he carried out a survey of his local community to ask what their thoughts were on the site; 95% of them came back to say changes were needed.

Imam Shaykh Nabeel added: "Even more upsetting is there's no paths in the graveyard, when we're going for a burial you're walking in a mud bath, when someone wants to visit a grave.

"You can walk up in mud that is as deep as your ankles, it is really disturbing; 1)Going for the burial and seeing the water in there and 2) knowing your loved one is going into the grave and it will be full of water again. It's not a pleasant sight."

He claimed that it even led to an incident before Christmas where a coffin became exposed after a grave began to fill up with water after a burial.

He said: "Water had risen from below and it was a freshly dug grave on a burial that had taken place, and with the water it had risen, and it actually exposed the grave and with it the coffin itself was rising up and became exposed.

"We had to get people in to get it put down and get it to settle it.

"The issue is not only the Muslim side it is spread out across the whole site, there is water-logging everywhere."