Family’s anguish over damage to headstone ‘caused by council’
AN east Belfast family have been left distraught over damage to a relative’s gravestone in Roselawn Cemetery they claimed was caused by Belfast City Council staff undertaking controversial safety assessments.
The family, who wish to remain anonymous, believe the memorial in section C was damaged by staff carrying out manual checks as part of the council’s memorial management policy.
Any headstone deemed unsafe must be repaired at the expense of the owner. The couple have spent £100 fixing the memorial, on top of the £16 access fee families seeking to make repairs must also pay.
“On July 23 my wife and I went to the grave where her father, mother and brother are buried and there was a stake with a sign saying the grave was unsafe,” the man said.
“We tested the headstone ourselves and it was stable, so we contacted the council and they sent an officer out to carry out a second test the following day.
“When we saw the results we were disgusted.
“We don’t know how hard they pushed it, but they broke the seal on the concrete base and the headstone came loose.
“My wife, who has chronic obstructive pulminory disease and is waiting on the results of a breast cancer operation, was extremely distressed, especially as it was soon after the anniversary of her brother’s death.
“I was very emotional and angry and had to walk away from the grave as I was filling up.
“We think the first test loosened the stone, meaning the officer was able to push it over on the second test.”
In April the Belfast Telegraph revealed that the council was planning to use a ‘ToppleTester’ machine to apply a “controlled force” to the top of gravestones to confirm that a memorial is able to withstand a force of 25kg.
However, the family said they were told the machinery has not yet been used, and are questioning how council officers can guarantee they aren’t exerting a damaging amount of force over 25kg to the gravestones during the manual tests.
The man added: “We met with officials from Belfast City Council at the grave on July 27. They were adamant that the council wasn’t responsible. The woman said that the council workers are all properly trained to test the graves, but how can they ensure that they aren’t damaging graves by applying too much pressure?”
The family paid the money to fix the headstone last week.
“It was so upsetting each time we went up to the grave, so we decided to just go ahead and get it done,” the man explained.
“It is absolutely disgusting the way the council have handled this — they are retraumatising grieving families.”
Belfast City Council said that 673 graves had been deemed unstable in section D of Roselawn, while numbers had not yet been finalised for section C. Nine graves were deemed unsafe at Balmoral Cemetery, three at Clifton Street, and one at Shankill Graveyard.
“We don’t comment on individual complaints which are subject to investigation. No calibrated machinery has been used in the memorial inspection programme as, to date, it has not been required.
“A visual test is carried out first on the memorial to consider if there are signs that the memorial is showing evidence of damage. After this, a hand push test is used to identify any movement between components.
“This hand test as instructed by the Ministry of Justice Guidance, National Association of Memorial Masons and the Institute of Cemeteries & Crematorium Management is carried out to confirm stability.
“A hand test pressure up to 25kg may be applied; however, it is unlikely that the hand test will achieve this pressure.
“If a family believe that their headstone has been damaged by the council, we encourage them to contact us and we will investigate the matter fully.”