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Man's 'anger' after grave laid flat by workers

Phillip Nortonin Hull
News imagePhillip Norton/BBC A man wearing a striped t-shirt and dark jeans stands in a cemetery. He is next to a black gravestone which has been laid flat on the ground. Other gravestones and floral tributes are visible in the background.Phillip Norton/BBC
Mark Wray said seeing his grandparents gravestone laid flat had been "heartbreaking"

A man says he was left "angry" and "heartbroken" after he found the headstone on his grandparents' grave had been laid flat by council workers.

Mark Wray, 65, said he made the discovery when he went to take flowers in Hull's Eastern Cemetery and insisted the stone had been upright and secure.

"Where's that decency? Where's that prewarning? Instead you have a relative turn up and be upset. I am angry that they've done this," he said.

Hull City Council said it carried out regular safety checks and any headstones that are deemed unsafe are "respectfully laid down, with the inscription facing upwards".

News imagePhillip Norton/BBC The black gravestone with gold writing. It has the names "Hilda Wray" and "William Wray" as well as the details of the ages and date of death. The stone has been laid on the ground with soil and grass patches surrounding it.Phillip Norton/BBC
Wray said the stone will need to be fixed back in place using a specialist repair

Wray, who lost his grandparents Hilda and William in the 1990s, said he had been left angry at the situation and said the council should have contacted him.

He said: "The council should be informing the public of what they're going to do. I came here to put down some flowers and it's so heartbreaking to see somebody has done this.

"My grandparents are the ones that looked after me when I was a young lad. They're the ones who took us on holidays to the seaside.

"It's a shame to see them like this."

News imagePhillip Norton/BBC A man in a blue and white striped polo shirt looks into the camera. He is standing in a cemetery. Rows of gravestones are visible in the background along with large green trees and shrubs.Phillip Norton/BBC
Wray said council officials had not notified him about the decision to lay the stone flat

Wray claimed he had counted around 300 gravestones that had also been laid flat in the cemetery, and said some of them had been on the ground for some time.

The 65-year-old, who had a career as a builder, has been told he will not be allowed to fix the stone back in place himself. He estimates the cost of a specialist repair would be £1,000.

He said: "Its just so wasteful, so silly, and a lot of money that people haven't got. I certainly don't have enough money to do it.

"They [the council] quote health and safety, that it's a public area and you shouldn't be doing DIY on a public area."

News imagePhillip Norton/BBC Rows of gravestones in a cemetery. Several of them have been laid flat on the ground but the majority are upright. Each grave is separated by a grassed area. Shrubs and flowers are also visible.Phillip Norton/BBC
Hull City Council said regular safety checks are carried out in the cemetery

Hull City Council said any headstone that is found to be unsafe during regular safety checks would be "respectfully laid down".

A spokesperson added: "All details for those laid down are recorded on the council's system. Notices are placed within the cemetery grounds whilst memorial safety works are carried out.

"The council understands the sensitivities surrounding these works and deed holders for those which failed those tests are contacted where possible."

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