So Many Things In Bedlington Are Peeing Me Off

[Merlin]

First and foremost is that I could not reply or do anything to my good friend Malcolms PM, due to my work commitments, now that really P'D me off! Elliott's Garage is another, Tesco is another but the one that really P.I.S.S.E.S me off is the end of year 'Let's get rid of money scheme' by our beloved COONCILLA'S! At this time of year I ask myself: What pea brained idea can they come up with this year to get rid of money? So they aren't penalised next year and will still get their full quota of spondulicks for tha back pockets. Never in my wildest dreams and to my horror they came up with a splendiferous idea in the guise of health and safety! What did they do? You may ask. They desecrated Bedlington Cemetery with their wooden stakes and tie wraps! Why? To stop gravestones falling on people and them making claims against the Cooncil. I ask, Why only Bedlington? Also these tie wraps are more dangerous than the gravestones themselves, the stakes deny access to disabled relatives to the deceased! Also, Why only the new graveyard, surely the old gravestones weigh at least 5 times as much as the new ones so why are these not staked up! Come to that if this is policy, the whole of Britain's graveyards should be staked up or declared 'No Go Areas' That would be fantastic to me as it would mean I was Immortal Another thing,when I buried my Mother and father and my Father in law I had to apply for planning permission to erect the gravestones, these plots belong to me! Do the cooncil have a right to erect these monstrocities!

People please feel free to contact me if while visiting Bedlington graveyard, you trip or stumble over these posts or cut youselves on these tie wraps, Their health and safety will then be held to question! I hope, their deep pockets are deep enough to pay out all the compensation claims! OUCH!

Edited April 9, 2012 by Merlin

[Canny lass]

They desecrated Bedlington Cemetery with their wooden stakes and tie wraps! Why? To stop gravestones falling on people and them making claims against the Cooncil.

I'm trying to imagine the scene with stakes and tie wraps. It sounds a bit like a cure for vampires. However, in all fairness a falling gravestone can cause more damage than a claim against the Cooncil. Just a couple of months ago a 10 year old girl was killed here when a gravestone fell on her. The interim solution here was to check the stability of ALL gravestones nationwide. Those that were found to be potentially unsafe were laid flat on the ground until safety can be restored. I can add that in some cemeteries this was the majority of gravestones but the result was in fact quite pleasing to the eye while at the same time reducing the risk of other injuries to churchyard visitors. Perhaps this could be a solution in Bedlington.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Funnily enough we are all over this one like a rash Merlin, not least because my wife and I tend a plot in the children's section!

Desecration is exactly the right word and what has happened is akin to a bunch of yobs kicking over or smashing headstones just because they feel like it. Whoever thought this was a good idea or acceptable really needs lobotomising!

The excuse reason coming out seems all about Health and Safety (a favourite contemporary catch all excuse for the bureaucrats these days!) but looking a bit closer we see a solid headstone of 18 inches 'staked' while a 6 foot one lying at 45 degrees isn't? In fact most of the large 17th, 18^th, 19th century ones there are lying at quite bizarre angles but they have been left untouched?

Is this the same council department which until recently was putting headstones at the feet of the interred at Blyth? There would seem to be a clue in the title……HEADSTONE! The reason which finally came out wasn't about making the cemetery aesthetics more pleasing to the eye or making maintenance easier it was about being able to squeeze more plots out of a given area, in other words sell more spaces!

Canny lass I will post some pics for you to see what we are talking about. Now of course with the weather some of the tie wraps are falling off so they are now a complete and utter waste of time.

[Malcolm Robinson]

[Canny lass]

Thanks for the pics Malcolm. Like yourself and Merlin I'd also opt for the word desecration. However, if a group of youngsters had done that it would be called vandalisation! That fits the bill quite well too. I fail to see how the level of safety can possibly have been improved by these measures. Would those structures really prevent a stone from falling over? I find it hard to believe. I think those posts would be ripped out of the ground by the shear weight of the stone against the tie wraps. Thank goodness nobody thought of that solution here! Much better with headstones laid flat on the ground until safety can be restored. Perhaps you should just lay the cooncillas flat on the ground until safety - or sanity - is restored.

[Vic Patterson]

Looks like an April 1st prank to me! no one in their right minds would believe that those stakes are stabilizing the headstones especially the double staked one! (how could it possibly fall sideways!) Is this their "due diligence†protecting any potential vandals!

[Malcolm Robinson]

That's why I included that pic Vic............shows the level of intelligence we are dealing with!

I was told last night remedial work has begun, I will check that out today.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Workmen are there today.....................couldn't get over to ask them what they were doing.

[Merlin]

Well Malcolm a relative of mine went along on Wednesday and spoke to the workmen. They say that the stakes were for support while they repaired the headstones and were removing them as they went along! A pile of logs and tie wraps seemed to support their answer. I am still not convinced and shall check personally to see what progress has been made!

Canny Lass, Hello, I can see your point and am saddened at the death of the youngster, but the point I was making was: Why was this only happening in the new part of the cemetery? The old part has grave stones at least 4 to 5 times the weight of the new part yet nothing was done to support these gravestones!

[Canny lass]

Why was this only happening in the new part of the cemetery? The old part has grave stones at least 4 to 5 times the weight of the new part yet nothing was done to support these gravestones!

Who knows what, if anything, goes on in the head of a cooncilla Merlin! Maybe they think that nobody visits the graves in the old part of the cemetery - It would probably never occur to them that children could possibly play there or walk their dog there - or maybe the stakes were from a cheap load of off-cuts all of which were under 2 feet in length. I have to agree it's odd. Like you I would have thought that gravestones which are 5 times as heavy,, and possibly 5 times as old, as those in the new part of the cemetery would be those most likely to topple over.

As matter of interest has anybody asked why these stones have become unsafe? Do you think we should go back to the old days when you had to wait quite a long time, 6 months I think, before putting up a headstone so that everything had a chance to settle back into place.

[Merlin]

Canny Lass, I don't think it has anything to do with settlement, but with shoddy present day workmanship, that's why a gravestone of fifty year plus is still standing and one of say fifteen year or less needs remedial work. Cost cutting and money(Profit) men seem to be the problem these days!

[Malcolm Robinson]

The reason given why these headstones had to be checked is stone mason faults!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seems the pegs used by the stone masons are not strong or resilient enough.

So ya see it isn't the Coouncils fault after all...............

And if anyone believes that load of codswhallop......

[John Fox (foxy)]

.

So ya see it isn't the Coouncils fault after all...............

And if anyone believes that load of codswhallop......

But have you noticed how they keep their heads down and don't have any input on these controversial matters on this website? Never mind we'll be hearing plenty from them when they want our vote.

[Merlin]

HERE HERE or is it HEAR HEAR!

We need to vote for someone else, we can't have more of the same! CAN WE!

[Malcolm Robinson]

I brought this matter up at the Town Council meeting last night and asked them to put in a strongly worded objection to the way the whole situation has been handled by NCC. They are reticent to do anything and said because the 'Friends of the cemetery group' have accepted the reasoning off NCC its best left alone. (There are plenty of Town Councillors on this site if I have committed a misrepresentation!)

That's as maybe but no one has apologised or explained anything to my wife whose cousin's grave (18” high and solid as a rock!) has been staked or friends of mine who have their parents headstones lying face down on the ground.

The whole thing has been mishandled from start to finish and you would think even a cretin would realise how emotive this subject would be to all the people with a stake (excuse the pun) in the cemetery.

[Stephen]

NCC sent this to the Town Council and Friends of Bedlington Cemetery.

As you will be aware, we have a major health and safety issue with the memorials in Bedlington Cemetery and we apologise for any distress caused as a result of the measures taken to date.

As an Authority, we have a duty to keep the public safe when they visit our cemeteries and routine safety testing of the memorials forms part of this duty. Very little testing has been carried out in recent years and we are in the process of visiting all of cemeteries to ensure that we are meeting our obligations.

On visiting Bedlington Cemetery, we found a high number of the monuments failed the safety test and, as a temporary measure, these monuments were made safe by the use of wooden stakes and banding tape. I must stress that this is purely a temporary arrangement and we will be working with local stonemasons over the coming weeks to return the monuments to a safe condition.

To expand slightly on some of the points raised:-

1. Over 800no monuments in Bedlington Cemetery have been tested and found to be in an unsafe condition; this we feel is partly due to an on-going vandalism problem.

2. As a matter of urgency we will be contacting local stonemasons to see how they can help by revisiting some of the monuments they have erected over the past five years and returning them to a safe state of repair.

3. With older monuments, we will be engaging with a stonemasonry company who will return these monuments to a safe state of repair on our behalf. It is hoped that this company will be on site next week to start this process although you will be aware that it will be a number of weeks before all the monuments which have been identified as unsafe can be returned to an acceptable condition.

Arthur did agree with you Malcolm, that this should have been better handled and suggested that a notice should have been displayed at the cemetery in advance, and WBTC did agree to pass on your complaint.

[Cyril]

The reason given why these headstones had to be checked is stone mason faults!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seems the pegs used by the stone masons are not strong or resilient enough.

So ya see it isn't the Coouncils fault after all...............

And if anyone believes that load of codswhallop......

To be honest my first comment to my mam when I was told about the problems in the cemetry was.........Quote.........

(GET THE BLOODY FOLKS BACK WHO GOT PAID TO DO THE JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE).............. My dad is up there as are two very good and dear departed friends.......my mam was devestated when she saw the mess when she went up to put flowers on my dads grave, but its good to see its been sorted out properly as it should be I may add.

But I dont think personaly that some individuals look upon a cemetary as a place that should be treat with respect, but thats another subject and unfortunatly a sign of the times.

[Canny lass]

NCC sent this to the Town Council and Friends of Bedlington Cemetery.

As a matter of urgency we will be contacting local stonemasons to see how they can help by revisiting some of the monuments they have erected over the past five years and returning them to a safe state of repair.

Are you serious? You are asking stonemasons how they can HELP with repairs to headstones which they have erected over the past FIVE years! Shouldn't you be TELLING them to PUT IT RIGHT!! I'm quite sure the average life expectancy of a gravestone is more then 5 years. The relatives of the deceased should be asking for their money back. I agree with Merlin - it smells of shoddy workmanship!

[Malcolm Robinson]

Ok Stephen I will bite.

If the vast publicity machine that is NCC couldn't have done more ( and let's call it as it is……anything) to inform people with friends and relatives buried in this cemetery that it was going to be carrying out inspections and possible remedial actions weeks if not months ahead of time then they might as well pack up and go. ……. They seem to have no problems issuing rates demands to everyone!

I would be very interested in the date of that missive; I will give odds now it was after events had happened!

Just been talking to someone who visits a family grave daily and he tells me the testing was done by holding a meter against the headstone? Really????

At first the stakes were about 2-3 feet higher until objections were raised and NCC came back to cut them down to the height of the headstones. (It's all starting to add up to a complete disregard of people's feelings!)

"As you will be aware, we have a major health and safety issue with the memorials in Bedlington Cemetery”

Some it seems more than others!

Of course some have to be seen to be believed.

Others are left.................

And then there is the weather to think about because using wood something which swells in water and contracts in heat…………

I have to say I was disappointed at the reaction of the Town Council or rather the mayor and clerks reactions. Yes Arthur did agree things could have been handled better but saying the 'Friends of' group have had that letter so everything's hunky dory in the garden just seems to completely miss the point! Firstly the 'Friends of Westlea Cemetery' were formed in reply to the vandalism going on in the children's section and the need to have a vehicle to apply for grant aid to get the perimeter fence done. It is by no means a catch all group for all users of that cemetery.

But the overwhelming reason I thought the Town Council should have done their own strongly worded reply to NCC about this sordid issue is that it should be representing us, the community and each and every section which makes up our community. When even the smallest section feels revulsion to actions taken by a local governmental authority then it would seem incumbent on our elected representatives to take up the issue on our behalf.

I don't need to use the Town Council to make a complaint, I know the officers and the line management structure and can tackle them directly, but I do think in this case asking the Town Council to do so was the correct course of action. Not only that the mayor and deputy mayor are both County Councillors and this site falls directly in George's remit, I just think that's another reason they should have been championing this up at County Hall.

[Stephen]

I would be very interested in the date of that missive; I will give odds now it was after events had happened!

15 March, it was definitely after the story in the Journal - I certainly wasn't trying to imply otherwise, the first line did apologise for what had already happened. If the rest of the letter had gone out in advance, especially the part about the measures being temporary, then it would have avoided a lot of distress.

[Merlin]

It's good locking the door after the horse has bolted! Did they have another reason in the first place, and back tracked after complaints? Did NCC really believe that they could get away with this? Why only Bedlington? Why not any where else? Surely the same standard of workmanship is applied to all cemeteries across NCC areas. Do they realise what they have started and the cost it will incur? Bedlington may be first but now they have set a president, they now have an obligation to carry out remedial work across the county! And, I think it won't be them paying for it either!

[Malcolm Robinson]

15 March, it was definitely after the story in the Journal - I certainly wasn't trying to imply otherwise, the first line did apologise for what had already happened. If the rest of the letter had gone out in advance, especially the part about the measures being temporary, then it would have avoided a lot of distress.

Thanks for the reply Stephen.

It just looks like the heavy hand of an uncaring organisation.

I talk to people in there and none I have spoken to know what's going on apart from hearing that the headstones will be sorted by NCC. So really sending the Friends of Group that letter and expecting that to assuage feelings was another mistake.

BTW, could it be that by including the Town Council in the NCC missives the onus for getting the information out has been passed to the Town Council???? I wouldn't be surprised!

As Merlin has mentioned costs I hope everyone is aware just how much pressure treated tanalised timber is.

I presume this is the precursor to the Town Council taking over the cemetery at some point?