Woman's horror as 4-ft high pile of soil dumped on dad's grave at Coventry cemetery

[dutchman]

Ian Hunter's grave was covered with a huge mound of earth



A woman was horrified to find her father’s grave in Coventry covered with a huge pile of soil.

Ian Hunter’s grave and the neighbouring resting place at Canley Garden cemetery and crematorium were left under a mound of earth around 4ft high after workers dug another burial plot.

Mr Hunter’s daughter Amanda said the family keep the grave in an “immaculate” condition and were shocked by what they saw when they visited the cemetery on Wednesday night.

Amanda told the Telegraph that there was space nearby that the soil could have been placed instead.

She said: “My mum and my niece went up there to water the plants and they have completely buried my father’s grave and the grave next to his.

“It’s absolutely disgraceful, I am horrified. It looks like they have been completely buried.

“My mum said she has never seen so much earth, I am going to kick off.

“They just cannot do this, I have never seen anybody’s grave here with soil dumped on it.

“Why would you put it on people’s graves, especially when there is empty space nearby? Maybe we would understand if they were derelict but I don’t think that would even be okay.

“Nobody in their right mind would think that’s okay.”

The family are due to mark the anniversary of Ian’s death and his birthday.

Amanda said: “We’ve been making sure it’s immaculate. My dad’s first grandchild is on its way and he’s going to be named after him.

“We have never not kept the grave tidy, we go every night. My mother is heartbroken.

“You cannot even see the grave now, there’s so much soil.

“I didn’t even know it was my dad’s grave when I saw the photos.

“My mum is 73 and we’ve spent so much time tending to the grave, we put fresh plants on there and we’ve only just paid to have it reset, because it’s 17 years this year.

“They took the ornaments off the grave and put them on the headstone so they knew what they were doing but they’ve completely buried the plants and his grave.”

After speaking to staff at the cemetery, Amanda claims she has been told where her dad is buried is classed as a lawn area and this is why the area was used to dump the soil.

She added: “He has been here for 17 years and we have never been told that.

“They say it was on our paperwork but we weren’t aware and it’s never happened before. There were other options but they chose to put it there and that’s why it’s upset me so much.

“I burst into tears when I saw it, it’s horrible.”

A spokesperson for Coventry City Council said: “Part of the process of creating a grave may, on occasion, result in soil temporarily being placed on a neighbouring grave until the interment has been carried out, as the soil needs to be located as close to the excavation as possible.

“We do appreciate that this can be distressing for people visiting a family grave and we make every effort to avoid this where possible. The grave is restored to its proper condition as soon as possible.

“Unfortunately we are not able to remove the soil completely from the area as this would mean the burial process would take more time and would mean fewer burials were possible, which would lead to delays for families at a very distressing time.”

[Melisandre]

No respect for the dead discraceful

[dutchman]

Woman whose aunt's grave was dug up onto someone else's plot speaks out

A woman whose aunt was buried next to the grave that had almost 4ft of soil dumped on it has spoken out about the controversy.

Karen Dawson said she is deeply sorry for the distress caused by the digging of her relative’s grave, which resulted in the displaced soil being deposited on to the grave of Amanda Hunter’s father.

She said: “We buried my aunt on Thursday and her plot was next to this grave, we are sorry that this had to happen to someone else’s grave and the distress it must have caused.”

Following the heartbreak for Amanda and her mum in discovering the 4ft mound on the neatly kept grave, Amanda says she doesn’t blame the family who had their relative’s grave dug up.

Amanda said: “The situation has now been put right.

“I felt so bad because it isn’t their fault. I do not want them to think it is their fault.

“The gravediggers didn’t go about it in the right way to begin with and this shouldn’t have happened, but it has been put right.”

Amanda said the flowers have now been relaid on her dad’s grave.

She said: “The flowers underneath have now all died, so we had to get new ones replanted.

“They relaid the grave with their own flowers, but they have put it right.

“They should let people know that this is happening. Families should be notified if they are going to do this.”