Dozens of headstones at Buckingham cemetery found to be unsafe

Dozens of headstones in Buckingham’s Brackley Road Cemetery have been found to be unstable, following an inspection by Buckingham Town Council.

The town council has completed the first stage of its programme of memorial safety testing at the cemetery, in line with its statutory duty to comply with Health and Safety legislation, ensuring the cemetery is safe for visitors and workers.

Fifty-one unstable memorials have been made temporarily safe, mainly using stakes and banding, until the deed holders can be contacted and permanent repairs can be made.

It is the grave deed holder who is ultimately responsible for the maintenance of individual memorials, so a list of unsafe memorials has been made available on the town council website and on the wooden noticeboard at the cemetery entrance.

While Buckingham Town Council says it will do its utmost to contact any deed holders whose memorial is found to be unsafe, it is asking the deed holders to get in touch.

A spokesperson said: “We would also take this opportunity to ask deed holders of burial plots in the cemetery to update the town council with their current address if it has changed since the original burial deed was issued.”

Safety inspection of the cemetery is an ongoing process, with town council staff undertaking a section at a time with all of the memorials being tested over a five-year period.

Anyone with any questions about the memorial testing at the cemetery can contact Lee Phillips by email or call 01280 816801.