Row after council flattens Studley headstones in topple test

Residents of a village are upset after cemetery headstones were knocked over by a parish council due to safety concerns.

Some stones at Studley Cemetery in Warwickshire were deemed unsafe following a topple test inspection, with the memorials “carefully laid flat to prevent accidents”, Studley Parish Council said.

Ste Clarke, whose nan’s stone was tipped over, said it was a “horrible sight”, adding “there were just graves down everywhere”.

The council, which has apologised for distress caused by the topple test, is set to hold a public meeting for affected families on Friday evening at the village hall.

“Earlier this month, an independent qualified stonemason was employed by the council to carry out a topple test inspection of memorials in the cemetery,” the authority said.

“Some of the headstones were identified as a potential safety risk, and as a result, they were carefully laid flat to prevent accidents.”

The council said it acknowledged that prior notices lacked clarity and that the number of affected memorials “far exceeded” the number previously envisaged.

A stonemason would be instructed to return to the cemetery and temporarily reinstate memorials that were laid down, a spokesperson added.

Mr Clarke, who runs the local Facebook group, said nearly 150 graves ended up being affected during the inspection.

“All we knew really is they put a notice out stating that there was going to be an inspection nothing else, just an inspection,” he said of the council.

He told BBC CWR that he wanted the parish council to cover any associated cost with addressing issues.

“They could have gone down there, put some metal rods around the gravestones and cordoned it off,” he said.

“But instead they pushed them over.”