CEMETERY OUTRAGE
Couple’s dismay after soil is dumped on grave
Perth and Kinross Council has come under more fire from distressed locals after grave diggers dumped a soil box on top of burial plots.
Crieff couple Scott Paterson and Sarah Rodger were shocked at the act in Crieff’s Ford Road cemetery, which left the grave of Scott’s brother Graham looking like it had been vandalised.
Graham died on March 28 last year. The couple’s son Conner was born the day his uncle was buried so Sarah did not make it to the funeral.
But she has made sure the grave
has remained neat and tidy ever since and it is adorned with meaningful objects, lights and decorative shingle.
Sarah said she was horrified to see that the hap-covered soil box stretched over not only Graham’s grave but the ones next to it.
The couple are also concerned about the forthcoming funeral that the grave has been dug for.
Speaking to the Herald on Monday, Sarah said:“It’s just heartbreaking. Graham’s death affected us so badly.
“It’s still raw. He was only 26 and it was so sudden. We still haven’t really got our heads round it.
“It was bad enough when they put the weedkiller down and damaged all the grass. Instead of weeding they just sprayed all the way along the gravestones.
“Because of lockdown we had to wait a bit longer for the stone and it was a nice surprise when it just appeared one day but this is not a nice surprise.
“It’s so disrespectful, not only for the family that are burying this person but for those already buried that they’ve dumped it on top of.
“Where are the people with cords supposed to stand? It’s right up against the grave. That funeral is going to be a farce when they are having to stand next to all that.”
Scott, who works in groundworks, said:“I can’t believe what they’ve done. They’ve just not cared at all. It’s the last thing you want to see.
“I don’t understand why they’ve put it there when they could have easily put it elsewhere. It’s a terrible job. The digger could have easily swung round and tipped it further back.
“I thought they dug the graves the morning of a funeral and then put the soil back after. It’s been there for at least two or three days.
“We paid a fortune for this plot for me, my dad and my brother.
“That soil box is massive. Normally the boxes are half that size. That’s just not right at all. They have no respect.”
Crieff Community Council chairman Harry Thomason has been unhappy with the way the local authority has been operating at the town’s cemetery for months.
He said:“They could have put it back a bit nearer the concrete. To put it on top of three graves, which people clearly visit and tend, is horrendous.
“It’s getting beyond a joke. They are just making a mockery of Crieff Cemetery now.”
A spokesperson for the council said:“We apologise for any distress that may have arisen in this instance and would stress there was no intention to cause this.
“It is standard industry practice for any soil excavated from a burial plot to be put into a container placed immediately adjacent to the excavated plot.
“Where this container is placed in relation to the plot depends on a number of factors including ground conditions, health and safety and access for mourners.
“Following the burial the container of soil will be removed and any marks on adjacent ground will be repaired.
“In some cases we will temporarily remove ornaments from grave sites to protect them from damage. We are not aware of any damage caused to ornaments when this has previously been carried out.”