Council issue ‘grave’ apology

Church wardens and visitors to St George’s Church in Stalybridge were left horrified and deeply shocked after discovering that several headstones in the church graveyard had been damaged. More than 25 headstones appeared to have been pushed over and left lying flat, in what was initially described as an 'apparent act of vandalism'.

The vicar, Rev’d Denise Owen, said: “There seems to be no motive for this, other than perhaps a senseless and destructive Halloween prank. The matter has, of course, been reported to the police. St George’s Church cannot cover the cost of repairs to the memorials, as they are owned by individual families and not included under the church’s building insurance.”

Families of those buried in the graveyard took to social media to share their distress and frustration.

The Tameside Reporter contacted Tameside Council for comment and received the following statement.

A Tameside Council Spokesperson said: “The council manage eight cemeteries and a number of closed church yards across the borough. At the end of October, we attended St George’s Church in Stalybridge to conduct a churchyard inspection following the transfer of maintenance responsibilities to the local authority.

“During the inspection, a number of memorials were identified as unsafe. To ensure public safety, staff took immediate precautionary measures by carefully laying these memorials flat. A follow-up visit is planned to reinstate the memorials with temporary supports.

“It is standard practice for us to communicate with churches ahead of inspections, and we sincerely apologise to Reverend D. Owen, the Church, and affected families for not providing prior notice on this occasion. We understand the distress this may have caused and have since been in contact with Reverend Owen.”

Tameside Council have further stated “Memorials remain the responsibility of the grave owner, and permanent repairs must be arranged privately with a qualified stonemason"