Family's distress at state of West Bromwich cemetery
Mourners have spoken of their disgust at the way a cemetery has been neglected.
Tracked machinery used to dig graves has ripped through the turf at Heath Lane Cemetery in Walsall Road, West Bromwich.
In addition there are overhanging tree branches, toppled memorials and sinking plots.
One Great Barr family say they were forced to turf the grave of an 86-year-old relative themselves because the council never did it. They are also facing a losing battle to stop it sinking.
Geoffrey Lines' plot has fallen by 2ft since the service in May last year.
Mr Lines' daughter Vanessa, aged 59, said: "It's disgusting. I can't tell you how much strain this is putting on the family. It was bad enough having to lose my dad. We should not be having to go through this."
The family paid £2,900 for a stone tribute, which has been ready to collect since November. But they are afraid to put it up because they are worried it will make the grave sink quicker.
"There is no sign of them showing any compassion here to the people who have lost loved ones," said Miss Lines, of Hens Crescent in Great Barr.
Mr Lines' 80-year-old widow Valma, to whom he had been married for 60 years, said she had been unable to sleep due to the stress of the situation. "It's nearly 10 months and I haven't been able to say goodbye to my husband properly," she said.
Sandwell Council deputy leader Councillor Mahboob Hussain said the weather had had an adverse impact on the cemetery but they had paid Mrs Lines £250 compensation for her stress.
He said: "All new graves are dug using a mechanical excavator. This is now common practice across the country. Unfortunately because of the extreme weather we have experienced, the machinery used has damaged some of the turf and has made the area appear unsightly.
"Now that the weather has improved slightly, work has been carried out to improve the damaged areas.
"We accept that this was distressing to the family and apologise for the condition of the ground, but we had no alternative but to wait until the snow and rain had stopped to carry out the work."
Councillor Hussain said the council was now reviewing its grave turfing policy.
"We have met with the family and discussed their concerns," he said.
"We accept that the family have suffered inconvenience and distress and have paid out for the turf and phone calls – as a result we have offered them £250 as a gesture of goodwill."
