A FATHER and daughter were devastated when they visited a family grave in Kirk Balk cemetery and found it covered in a ton and a half of soil.
Lyn Flesher, 53, and her dad Brian Ferris, 76, were visiting the grave of Brian’s mum and dad Alice and John Ferris who died in 1956 and 1976. They were with a relative who had come from Birmingham to place flowers on the grave.
Lyn, of Gray Street, Elsecar, said: “The headstone was covered in topsoil from the next grave which was being dug out.”
Coun Roy Miller from Barnsley Council said: “To excavate a grave takes several hours, particularly if done by hand rather than with a machine. For safety reasons the soil is put in a constructed box next to the open grave as this is the furthest that the soil can be deposited. Following the burial, the soil has to be returned to the grave - to move it to a different location would take extra time and involve more staff. However, we do aim to make sure the soil is there for a minimal amount of time before it is returned.”
