Fears at 100 graves with water ingress

Scores of lair holders contacted by the council

South Ayrshire Council chiefs once feared that more than 100 graves at Ayr cemetery had water ingress.

A letter seen by the Post sent to worried relatives from local authority bosses revealed the grim data that at least 108 lair holders had been contacted.

The letter sent last December entails that 30 lair holders had given permission for their loved ones’ final resting place to be checked and that 78 lair holders had yet to respond.

Now shattered relatives have told how they panic every time it rains as they are left in the dark over whether or not graves belonging to family members are affected by leaks. It comes as initial findings of a report have been released with investigators confirming that rainwater and surface water entered chambers through the top slats and the joints where slats rest upon chamber walls.

Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown has called on the council to prioritise dealing with the water ingress problem before searching for a solution. The SNP politician says she has spoken to several families who have been left with an agonising wait.

Ms Brown said: “I have been speaking with families affected by water ingress at Ayr Cemetery and I have put the questions they have to the council.

“I understand that work is being carried out to try and find a permanent solution, however, I believe water needs to be removed from these chambers as soon as possible.

“Even if this is only a temporary fix, it would go a long way to easing the distress caused to these families and it would help repair the trust between them and the local authority.”

Suzann McKenzie’s son’s dad James McGarrie is one of the graves that has been left unchecked.

James was laid to rest in 2019 and now his ex-partner is dealing with sleepless nights over the ordeal.

Suzann said: “I just want them to get the water out.

“Why not start working on it and draining water, whilst doing their investigations at the same time?”

Another relative, who did not wish to be named, said: “Every time it rains my heart sinks. You could see how bad the weather we’ve been having is, it just doesn’t bear thinking about.

“We are all desperate, we just need the council to get the water out.”

Council chiefs say they have started further investigations to find the solution to sealing chambers.Crews have been carrying out tests on empty chambers since Wednesday, March 9. They estimate the testing will take up to a fortnight.

The council could not comment on the number of graves affected.

A council spokesman was unable to give a timeline as to when the final report will be completed.

He added: “We will be able to programme plans to rectify the issue when we have undertaken these tests and are in receipt of all final reports, findings, and recommendations from the specialists. We fully appreciate that this is a sensitive and distressing issue for families, however, we must be confident that any measures we may implement will solve the problem.

“We have remained in regular contact with affected family lair owners and will continue to liaise with them directly throughout.”