Archived press release

Date Published: 27/11/06

A major programme to assess the stability of thousands of headstones and memorials in Aylesbury Cemetery is to be undertaken by AVDC this winter – and the council will be making every effort to ensure that relatives are kept fully informed t...

A major programme to assess the stability of thousands of headstones and memorials in Aylesbury Cemetery is to be undertaken by AVDC this winter – and the council will be making every effort to ensure that relatives are kept fully informed throughout the process.

The council is responsible for the maintenance of the Tring Road cemetery and has a duty to comply with national health and safety guidelines to ensure all headstones and memorials are stable and do not pose a risk to anyone.

Starting in December, experts will carry out on-the-spot condition checks at the cemetery. Any unstable headstones and memorials will be provided with emergency supports.

In view of the sensitivity of these works, the council will strive to contact individual deedholders if their headstone or memorial is in need of attention from a professional stone mason to make it completely safe. Deedholders will also be given an approved list of stone masons who can carry out repair works.

It can be upsetting for relatives to visit a loved-one’s grave to discover that such work is underway, which is why the council is writing to all known deedholders. Letters have already been sent to owners of headstones which will be affected in the first phase of testing. Notices have also been displayed in the cemetery informing visitors that testing will be taking place.

Councillor David Thompson, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “There is a legal requirement on the council to ensure that its burial grounds are safe places to visit. In fulfilling our legal obligations and ensuring the safety of our residents and employees, it is necessary to test headstones to make sure they are not in danger of falling over and injuring anyone.

“We appreciate that some people may be concerned about this testing so we are working hard to make sure all grave deedholders know what will be happening. If we cannot contact grave owners, or if they refuse to carry out repairs, we may consider laying headstones flat but we will only do this if there is absolutely no other alternative.” 

During the programme of testing in Aylesbury cemetery, every headstone will be visited, a visual inspection made and details of the condition of the headstone observed and recorded. Initial manual stability checks will then be conducted and, if headstones are judged unsafe, immediate safety measures will be undertaken.

Headstones that pass the manual test will undergo a ‘topple test’ in which a calibrated hand-held device will be used to simulate the weight of an average person leaning against the stone. This replicates the effect of someone pulling themselves up, using the headstone for support. If the headstone does not meet the criteria of 35 kg force, it will fail the test.

If they can be traced, the owners of the headstones that fail the ‘topple test’ will be notified and given advice on what to do about their memorial. A warning notice will be attached to every headstone that is found to be dangerous. Visitors are advised to take heed of these notices because they mean that the headstone is a potential danger.

The first phase of the testing programme will take place between 6 and 15 December. Phase two will be undertaken between January and March 2007.

Grave owners who wish to update their records or obtain further information about the headstone and memorial safety tests should telephone 01296 585298 or email dgormley@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk