Daughter angry over state of her father’s grave

A WOMAN is furious after her father’s grave was left in this “disgusting” state.

Deborah Richards’ father John Evans passed away last month but Ms Richards said the authorities have “done nothing” to maintain the grave at Aberdare Cemetery, which has become waterlogged.

But Rhondda Cynon Taf council, which runs the cemetery, has said officials are working with Ms Richards to inform and reassure her, and take any action necessary to address concerns she has raised.

Ms Richards, 47, said: “We are totally devastated at the loss of my father and we don’t want to go up there and pay our respects and see that.

“It’s disgusting. What makes it worse is that the grave in front of my father is a fresh one and there was a funeral on Monday morning when officials must have seen how bad my father’s grave was, but have done absolutely nothing.”

John passed away on March 4, aged 71, from heart failure. He was married to his wife Linda for 55 years. Two days after his funeral on March 14, Ms Richards went to visit the grave to make sure the flowers were put out properly.

She said: “The cross was laid flat on a mound of earth so we propped that up best we could with as many stones as we could get our hands on, and there were holes in the soil – when you looked you could see quite a way down. When I moved a bunch of flowers the end of my father’s grave was visible – you could see 6ft under.”

Ms Richards phoned Rhondda Cynon Taf council to ask for the pitch, which she had paid “hundreds of pounds” for, to be sorted and the holes filled, and was told it was waiting for a delivery of soil.

On Monday she went to the site and found the grave sunk and the ground waterlogged.

She said: “Not only was my father’s grave all uneven and sunk on the one side due to the weather, which is fair enough, but the holes I complained about two days after the funeral were not filled in and they were now flooded.

“So that means the water is down 6ft, the cross had not been secured so yet again it had fallen over.”

She said she asked at the cemetery if someone could look after the grave, but was told it was “short staffed”.

On Wednesday, Ms Richards said she was going to the grave to lay some grass seeds. She added: “You shouldn’t have to do things like that yourself. We have not got the money, but we have had to pay hundreds of pounds for the plot and for that you expect it to be kept maintained. It’s absolutely diabolical – I even saw a little old lady pulling out weeds next to a grave there.

“If the family don’t go and maintain them by putting fresh grass seeds down and soil then nothing will be done.”

She added: “My mother, Linda has not been up there since the funeral - it’s too upsetting, and made so much worse by all this.”

A spokeswoman for Rhondda Cynon Taf said: “As a general approach, it does take some time for a grave to settle, particularly in adverse weather conditions, which is why we do not recommend installing a cross or other memorial for at least 12 months, as they can become unstable very quickly.

“For the benefit of all those who use the cemetery, we wish to reassure them that we have the staff on hand to ensure plots are maintained in accordance with the commitment we make to loved ones when they purchase a grave.”