More drainage work to take place at Nuneaton cemetery

[dutchman]

The pleas of devastated families who have been forced to watch the graves of much-missed loved ones be ruined by the rising water levels at a Nuneaton cemetery have been answered.



Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has announced that more drainage work is to take place at Bucks Hill Cemetery.

This is in a bid to offset the impact of the unprecedented and extreme levels of rainfall that have soaked the ground and filled aquifers in the local area.

The local authority is to install perforated land drains and work is due to begin today, lasting approximately four weeks.

Works will cease for the Easter weekend.

A spokesperson for Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council said: "A contractor has confirmed that the water is ground water being forced up via deep ground aquifers that are full and haven't had the chance to empty given two years of exceptionally high rainfall.

"To try and alleviate the problem we are going to install perforated land drains that will connect into the works we undertook 18 months ago and this work is scheduled to start Tuesday, April 15 and last approximately four weeks."

The spokesperson added that due to the sensitivity of the site, workmen will be hand-digging rather than using machines.

The spokesperson said: "I should stress that it will include hand-digging and not machine work, given the sensitivity of the site, and that our sympathies go out to the families who have been affected by the weather in this way and our thanks to them for being patient while we try to solve the problem that the record-breaking levels of rain have presented us with.

"We apologise in advance for any disruption that this work will cause, which we will keep to an absolute minimum."

The announcement comes after Shirley Sands contacted the News about the flooding after the council promised her the issue would be fixed more than a year ago. Shirley, from Nuneaton, is left heartbroken every time she visits her son Jamie Sands' grave at the cemetery.

It is surrounded by pools of water and deep mud, meaning she cannot even lay flowers for her much-missed son.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council promised Shirley and her family that the issue would be treated as an urgent job more than a year ago, but the new drainage system put in place did not stop the flooding.

It is now hoped that these new works will help solve the problem that has plagued grieving families for months.