Memorial safety

It is the responsibility of the grave owner to maintain their memorial in a safe condition, including any repairs arranging any repairs.

We  have a responsibility to ensure the cemetery is safe for all visitors and regulate installation and inspection of memorials.

Serious injuries or deaths have occurred elsewhere in the UK over recent years, so we ask that grave and memorial owners help ensure our cemeteries remain a safe environment.  

Our cemeteries and churchyards contain large numbers of memorials, some of which may be deteriorating due to age or lack of maintenance.

We have an ongoing inspection programme to assess potential hazards posed by unsafe memorials in our cemeteries.

We will make every effort to contact grave owners to inform them about the inspections, but in some cases it may not be possible to contact owners at their last known address.

Where memorials fail the safety inspection, we will again make every effort to contact the owner to give them notice to have their memorial made safe.