Man ‘disgusted’ after plants were removed from his dad’s grave

A Blackburn man said he was left deeply upset after plants and flowers were pulled off his father’s grave.

Putting plants into graves or adding kerb sets is not permitted in the Olive section at Pleasington Cemetery where Mohammed Tarik’s father is buried.

He placed some plants on the grave and said on return he said he was ‘shocked’ they had been removed by council staff.

Blackburn with Darwen Council ‘apologised’ for the distress caused and said it would aim to improve how matters such as these are handled in the future, but pointed out graves must be kept in line with its clearly set out policies.

It said teams ensured loved one’s resting places are ‘treated with care and respect’.

The council also reminded people of the rulings in the new Olive section of the cemetery which are different from those in the former Muslim section at the burial ground.

Since the rules were introduced last year a number of people have spoken out over ornaments, plants and decorations being discarded by cemetery staff.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has in the past defended the actions saying items which fell afoul of its rules would be removed as would flowers, but only after two weeks.

In the new section, families are not permitted to put plants into the graves nor add any kerb sets.

Mr Tarik’s father was buried on June 21 for which, Mohammed said he paid more than £3,500 for the plot.

He said: “I am deeply shocked and disgusted that anyone would do this. It is disrespectful to do this. It was left in a diabolical state. There were footprints on the grave area too.

They have gone too far. They could have told me to remove them and I would have done. The reason I wanted to surround the grave was that the soil keeps falling when it rains and we want to keep the correct shape. Every time it rains the soil washes away.”

Mohammed said families often don’t read the rules when they are grieving, and conceded he had not properly read the guidelines.

He added: “It is the last thing you are thinking about when you lose a loved one. Nobody really reads the small details when your family dies.

If I knew this would happen I would not have buried my father there. We paid a lot of money, more than £3.500. When I rang them they just explained the rulings.”

Suleman Ahmed said he visits his mum’s grave once a week and was shocked to find ornaments and a border removed, even though the items are not permitted per the rules.

He said: “I have been coming here once a week and when I came on Friday all the plants, the solar lights and the border had been removed.

The wooden plaque was put up there so family visiting from outside the town would know the location of the grave. I don’t think this is right at all and it is very upsetting for families.

 They said they had sent a letter to my sister but she had been away.”

In April 2023, as the new burial section was due to open, it was announced the council would be enforcing new rulings on the new section of the cemetery, which banned any ‘temporary structures or planting of trees or shrubs on the site.’

Following a consultation with mosque representatives, an agreement was reached that plants could be placed in pots next to graves.

It was also agreed there would be no restrictions on flowers to be laid at sites anywhere in the cemetery, but these would be removed within two weeks by staff within the new section.

The new area is a ‘lawned area’ and families are also told the mounds of graves would have to be no higher than six inches.

Blackburn with Darwen Council said concerns raised by families had been shared with colleagues.

Responding to concerns raised by Mr Tarik, Head of Environment, Tony Watson, said: “We understand how important it is for families to ensure their loved one’s resting place is treated with care and respect.

“We regret to learn of Mr Tarik’s recent experience and acknowledge the distress caused by the condition of his late father’s grave. Flower holder pots, wooden borders, and plants were removed in accordance with policies we have in place in the Pleasington Cemetery Extension.

He added: “We would like to thank Mr Tarik for bringing this issue to our attention, which has been shared with colleagues to consider any improvements in how these matters are handled.

We strive to balance cemetery regulations with respecting the sentiments of families, and we are committed to doing so with utmost sensitivity. Once again, we apologise for any hurt caused to Mr Tarik and his family.”

The council said over the last few months it has been trying to find ways to ensure families are more aware of the rules and regulations, including where items have been placed on graves that are not in keeping with the cemetery rules and regulations.

After undertaking regular audits of the cemetery, the council said it ‘had hand-delivered more than 100 letters across Blackburn with Darwen since April and posted more than 35’.

Despite this, the council said it ‘had no choice but to start removing items from the graves, which has now become a regular occurrence, especially with families that have continued to place items onto graves after notification’.

The latest batch of letters was sent out on ‘November 8th with the start of removals taking place from November 18 if grave owners had not removed the items themselves’.

The council said all items would be removed by December 8. All items removed are kept for a minimum of 28 days to enable owners to reclaim them, after which the items will no longer be available for reclamation.