Repairs required to 435 cemetery stones

Hundreds of gravestones in Aberdeen are in need of repair, newly-released information has shown.

In response to a freedom of information (FoI) request, Aberdeen City Council revealed that 435 headstones in the local authority area need to be fixed.

The council estimates the total cost of required repairs to be £50,000 annually, with the same sum expected to be requested in the budget for the next few years.

Upgrades are only carried out to headstones where the council is unable to trace the lair holder or families responsible for the memorial.

Headstones left unrepaired, which are

“We have a duty to ensure cemeteries are a safe environment”

deemed to be dangerous, are simply lain flat.

Those deemed highrisk are inspected annually, while others are checked every five years.

The data was released after the authority increased the cost of burials by £103 and lair rights by £25 in 2018-29.

In Aberdeen, burial now costs £680 and internment of ashes £210. Burial lair rights are priced at £875 while cremation casket lair rights cost £550.

The figures in Aberdeenshire are £855 for burial and £251 for internment of ashes, with burial lair rights and cremation casket lair rights costing £979 and £601 respectively.

An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “Memorials are not owned by the council but we have a duty to ensure cemeteries are a safe environment and therefore memorial inspections and stabilisation work is carried out.”