Shock as mother’s gravestone vanishes from cemetery

Mother-of-seven Margaret Bradley died tragically in a fire at her Wednesfield home in March last year.

The gravestone’s removal was discovered when her daughter Charmaine Anthony and two grandchildren visited on what would have been her birthday.

Mrs Anthony was unhappy about the positioning of the wording on the headstone and had refused to pay the outstanding £800 of the £1,600 stonemason’s bill.

She said the company, S.A.Lockett, has offered to re-position the wording but the family wants a new headstone or their money back.

“My mom was perfect and she deserves a perfect headstone,” said Mrs Anthony.

The company declined to comment. A spokesman said: “Our solicitor is dealing with it.”

Mrs Bradley, described as a ‘devoted’ mother, died after accidentally dropping a cigarette that set bed linen alight, an inquest in June heard. She is buried at Bushbury Crematorium.

The 77-year-old was found by firefighters in the bathroom of her smoke-filled house in Bradburn Road after she had attempted to put out the flames by dousing them in water from the bathroom tap.

Fire crews carried her out of the property and tried to resuscitate her but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbours raised the alert after seeing smoke billowing from an upstairs window.

The family ordered the stonework to be done by S.A.Lockett of Tettenhall Road, Wolverhampton, which had previously carried out work for them on two previous occasions without a problem.

Mrs Anthony claimed they had asked for a verse to be included on the headstone with the words ‘A very special lady’ in brackets underneath.

However, the words ran on from the verse instead of appearing below it, she said.

Mrs Anthony said: “It was hard enough to lose our mother in this way. This has just added to our distress.”

The 55-year-old discovered the gravestone had been removed when she visited on Saturday, on what would have been her mother’s 79th birthday, with her late brother’s two children, aged 10 and 11.

“The children had gone ahead and were saying ‘Where’s Nana’s stone?’ It was a terrible shock,” she said.

A Wolverhampton council spokesman said: “It is a highly emotive issue and we fully understand Ms Anthony’s wish to have a fitting tribute to her late mother. We are aware of the ongoing dispute between Ms Anthony and the company.

“Our Trading Standards colleagues have been in discussions with both parties and has sought to mediate and achieve a satisfactory outcome. However, the matter now appears to be in the hands of solicitors.”