Families slam council bosses for toppling over headstones they deemed unsafe at cemetery where Afghan war victim is buried

•  Mourners were shocked that 87 headstones had been flattened at the cemetery
•  Afghan war victim LBdr Matthew Hatton is among those buried at the York site

Heartbroken families have slammed council bosses for toppling over headstones they deemed unsafe at a cemetery where an Afghan war victim is buried.

Mourners were shocked to discover 87 headstones had been flattened at Haxby and Wigginton Cemetery, North Yorks, this week.

Those with friends and family who are buried in the cemetery said this feels like ‘vandalism’ which has caused ‘heartbreak and upset’.

They said they weren’t given enough notice to repair any loose headstones in time. 

Among those buried at the site is Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, who died aged 23 while deployed in Afghanistan.

Mourners were shocked to discover 87 headstones had been flattened at Haxby and Wigginton Cemetery, North Yorks, this week

Those with friends and family who are buried in the cemetery said this feels like ‘vandalism’ which has caused ‘heartbreak and upset’

The council said the headstones were laid on the ground because they failed a ‘topple test’ which is done to ensure visitors aren’t injured by falling headstones.

Tracey Smith, whose brother’s headstone has been pulled down, said: ‘It’s like an act of vandalism.

‘This has caused a lot of heartbreak and upset within the community as this has not been communicated with people who have not been given time to rectify issues.’

Kirsty Richmond said she should have been given earlier warning about the tests and would have wanted to witness the test to her father’s gravestone.

She said: ‘My dad’s was one of those which in our family’s opinion was not loose or leaning, we always check when we go.

‘The option of repair has been taken away.’

Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, who died aged 23 while deployed in Afghanistan, is also buried at the cemetery, but it’s not known if his gravestone was one of those that were laid flat.

LBdr Hatton died in 2009 along with Captain Mark Hale and Rifleman Daniel Wild, who were carrying the wounded soldier to a helicopter landing zone.

Among those buried at the site is Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, who died aged 23 while deployed in Afghanistan

The council said the headstones were laid on the ground because they failed a ‘topple test’ which is done to ensure visitors aren’t injured by falling headstones

Heartbroken families have slammed council bosses for toppling over headstones they deemed unsafe at a cemetery where an Afghan war victim is buried

Gates to the cemetery had a notice warning of the ‘mandatory exercise’ attached, dated October 9 and written on Haxby Town Council headed paper

Safety checks were introduced in British cemeteries to stop hefty memorials falling on people and killing them.

According to official guidance, the so-called ‘topple tests’ are meant to involve workmen standing next to memorials and pushing them to see if they are unsteady.

Home Office rules make clear relatives should be properly informed if their loved ones’ graves are disturbed.

Haxby and Wigginton Cemetery Committee said they’d been laid flat as part of its ‘statutory health and safety requirement of running a cemetery’ as they were unsafe.

Gates to the cemetery had a notice warning of the ‘mandatory exercise’ attached, dated October 9 and written on Haxby Town Council headed paper.

The notice says that all upright headstones had been subjected to an independent ‘topple test’ to see if they were safe.

Some headstones had failed the test, it said, and would need to be laid flat. The notice added that the work was being done on October 11.

A spokesperson for Haxby Town Council said: ‘There have been several meetings of the Haxby and Wigginton Cemetery Committee since November, the last of those was a few weeks ago when it was agreed to carry out its responsibility in testing the memorial stones which was carried out by a qualified stone mason.

‘This does not mean they have not been tested in between this period but this was hand wobble testing at site visits by members.’

Haxby and Wigginton Cemetery Committee said in a statement: ‘Visitors will notice that a number of gravestones have been laid flat in the cemetery.

‘The committee are not vandalising the cemetery, of which they have been accused, but rather meeting a statutory health and safety requirement of running a cemetery.

‘Where a gravestone is loose and no longer safely fixed to the ground we are required to lay it down flat on the ground, as advised by a qualified stonemason, to ensure the safety of visitors to the cemetery.

‘A gravestone’s maintenance is the responsibility of the family who purchase the grave at the time and all those for whom we have information, acknowledging that some information we hold may not be up to date as no new details have been provided to us, will be contacted asking them to repair their graves.’

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