Apology to heartbroken widow after husband’s grave dug up by mistake | EUROtoday

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A council has apologised to a widow left “absolutely heartbroken” after she discovered her husband’s grave was dug up by mistake.

Jenny Thurlow, 74, found her late husband Peter’s grave in Driffield Cemetery, East Yorkshire, had been unearthed in a burial plot mix-up.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council and undertaker apologised to Mrs Thurlow in what they branded a “miscommunication”.

“When we got there and saw what it was like, well I was crying. I just couldn’t get it out of my head, I was just so upset,” Mrs Thurlow informed BBC News.

“You can’t describe really what it felt like because it was awful. Basically, it’s on the mind all the time now,” she added.

Mrs Thurlow stated her mother-in-law died in November and was to be buried in the identical grave as her father-in-law.

However, resulting from a mix-up with plot numbers, the adjoining grave, containing her late husband Peter, was dug up as an alternative.

An East Riding of Yorkshire Council spokesperson informed The Independent: “Since this unfortunate situation was brought to light, we have been in close contact with the family and have apologised.

“We are still investigating but there seems to have been a miscommunication between the family, the funeral directors and the council over which grave was to be reopened and used for this burial, as the family owns two plots next door to each other at Driffield Cemetery.

“Thanks to due diligence checks by all concerned, the mistake was quickly picked up and rectified within 24 hours and the funeral ceremony was able to go ahead as planned in December.”

A spokesperson for the undertaker, Henry Naylor Funeral Directors, stated: “We are deeply sorry for the distress caused to Mrs Thurlow and her family. Our team followed all necessary procedures and carried out arrangements in line with our client’s instructions.

“Unfortunately, due to an administrative error in the council’s records, the wrong grave was initially prepared. Our team identified the issue while on-site and promptly reported it to the council, who acted swiftly to resolve the situation.”

In November final 12 months, a council got here underneath hearth after mini-diggers and heavy equipment had been caught driving over individuals’s graves.

In one picture, observe marks might be seen having crossed over a fenced space of a grave at Coney Hill Cemetery and Crematorium, Gloucester, marked with gravel and a black gravestone.

Councillor Alastair Chambers, who represents a close-by ward, stated he was “appalled” to find wood crosses marking individuals’s graves had been “crushed”.