Grieving son shocked to find dad's grave covered in earth

Karl Lewis was visiting his father's grave at High Wycombe Cemetery in Hampden Road on his birthday on October 6 when he discovered the stones and gravel.

He said the council should given "an apology and assurance that his grave will be left clean how it was and not vandalised" again. 

Buckinghamshire Council apologised but said the soil was from a neighbouring plot which occasionally happens when a burial takes place.

Mr Lewis, who lost his father, Arnol Lewis, to bowel cancer, was visiting the cemetery with his mum on his birthday on October 6, when he discovered the dumped stones and earth on his grave.

He said: "My mum was upset as it meant she couldn't put flowers down and say a few words for his birthday.

"We know he's dead but the thought of something being put on his grave like this was upsetting and disrespectful. A few other visitors said the same thing as a funeral was taking place too.

"I saw his grave completely boxed off with stones and gravel with no way for me to actually lay flowers by his headstone or clean his grave.

"We have paid a considerable amount of money, not only for his plot but also for his headstone and we now physically cannot gain access as the stones and gravel is directly on his grave!

"I find this genuinely disgraceful and disgusting that you can disrespect people's graves like this.

A spokesman from the council explained why they have to place soil on graves.

Mark Winn, Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet Member for Housing & Regulatory Services, said: "We are sincerely sorry to this gentleman, who visited his father’s grave to find it covered with soil from the neighbouring grave. We understand that this was upsetting to see and we have been in touch with him to offer our apologies.

"Unfortunately, we occasionally have to place soil on graves, in particular when a neighbouring grave is being reopened, such as it was on Friday so a second burial could take place. We assessed the situation, and with restricted access to that particular grave we made the decision place a soil box over the adjacent grave. The soil box straddles the grave and doesn’t sit directly on it. Once the work was finished, which took a few hours, the grave diggers took every care to reinstate the grave exactly as they found it.

"Again, we are sorry for any distress caused."

The council has since restored the gravestone back to normal.