Cemetery safety inspections
Overview
We are legally required to make our cemeteries safe to visit.
We are carrying out safety inspections on every memorial that is over 18 inches tall. These inspections will take 5-years and begin in Summer 2024.
If a memorial needs to be repaired, we will contact the owner.
If you own a memorial in one of our cemeteries and your details have changed, you need to contact us.
How we inspect memorials
The memorials are inspected by a qualified Council employee and a specialist contractor.
They will look closely at the memorial and gently push it to check its stability.
If a memorial is unsafe
If a memorial is unsafe, we will make it safe temporarily.
We will make it safe by doing one of the following things:
- Bonding the memorial together using a hybrid polymer
- Securing the memorial with a metal or wooden stake
- Socketing the memorial into the ground
If it's too unsafe to do any of the above, we'll lay the memorial flat on the ground with the inscription facing upwards. This will only be done as a last resort.
We'll put a sign in front of the memorial asking the owner to contact us. We'll also write to them if we have their information.
Who can repair a memorial
The owner is responsible for permanently repairing the memorial.
This repair must be carried out by a professional stonemason that is registered with:
- The National Association of Memorial Masons, OR
- The British Register of Approved Memorial Masons
See a list of suitable stonemasons.
If we can't contact the owner
If we have made a memorial safe and can't contact the owner, we may need to take further action.
If the memorial is bonded together
It will be inspected every 12 months to make sure it's still stable.
If it becomes too unstable, it will be secured with a stake or laid flat on the ground.
If the memorial has been secured with a stake
It will be left upright for 12 months to give the owner the chance to visit the memorial and repair it.
After 12 months it will be laid flat on the ground.
If the memorial has been socketed into the ground
It will remain in this position until the owner arranges a repair.
Contact us
If you wish to discuss memorial inspections further, or update your details:
Telephone: 0191 4273190