It wasn’t yobs who ‘vandalised’ these headstones – it was the local council

Scarborough’s council is accused of being overenthusiastic with its ‘topple tests’ (Picture: Ben Lack)

A local authority has sparked fury among residents for toppling at least hundreds of headstones because they were deemed ‘dangerous’.

Families visiting their loved ones’ graves in three cemeteries under management of Scarborough Borough Council in recent weeks were shocked to find seas of headstones uprooted and lying on the ground.

Many suspected youths were responsible until closer inspection revealed council officials had ordered them to be toppled for health and safety reasons.

Cemeteries widely carry out safety checks on memorials to stop prevent injuries from heavy objects falling on visitors.

Official guidance states officials should conduct ‘topple tests’ in which memorials should be gently pushed to see if they are too unstable.

Scarborough’s council, which oversees 50,000 graves, insists it followed the guidance in checks on any memorial over 18 inches tall starting this summer.

But photos shared by residents on social media suggest the tests have been carried out with an extreme level of vigour, with up to half of all stones laid down in some areas.

Council bosses also insisted ‘no headstones have been damaged’ in the process.

As many as half of headstones had been torn down in some places (Picture: Ben Lack)

But one photo showed a stone plaque memorialising a late husband and wife lying on the ground with its corners smashed off.

In many cases, the bases were still in the ground, suggesting workers had wrenched plaques off rather than digging up unstable memorials.

Government guidelines also state families should be contacted if their loved ones’ graves are disturbed.

But many Scarborough famillies only found out about through social media, or when they arrived to lay flowers.

Dawn Jordan, 52, said she discovered headstones for three family members including her late mum and a sister who died in 2000 had been uprooted after seeing a Facebook post about the scandal.

She told the Daily Telegraph: ‘I just think it’s disgusting that they can just push these over without consulting anyone.

Some residents say they weren’t warned their loved one’s graves would be affected (Picture: Ben Lack)

‘I have to get in touch with the stone masons the crematorium have told me to use and they have to go look at the grave and give me a quote on how much it will cost to re-erect the gravestone.’

The council claims it ‘gave people plenty of notice’ through letters, signs and social media posts starting in early June.

A spokesperson added: ‘A sensitive audit of memorial headstones in our three cemeteries to check they are stable and don’t pose a safety risk to people that visit the cemeteries and the staff that work in them, began in July and is continuing.

‘No headstones have been damaged by our staff and contractors. They are not pushed over but carefully positioned on the grave face up so that the inscription can still be read.

‘The small signs attached to the headstones advise people to contact us if they have any queries. We do our very best to place the signs without obscuring the memorial text.

‘We do not charge any fees for repair. Stone mason fees may vary and any recent stones (within 10 years) should still be under warranty from the stonemason and be made safe free of charge.’

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