Headstones laid flat after checks

Many of the headstones were damaged or crumbling

More than 50 headstones have been laid flat at a cemetery after safety checks revealed they could topple over.

Daventry District Council inspected graves at Welton Road cemetery, earlier this week, to comply with Health and Safety Executive guidelines.

The council is urgently trying to trace relatives of those buried in the 54 affected graves, records for some of which are out-of-date.

Anyone who thinks their details need updating is urged to get in touch.

As an interim measure to ensure the safety of the site, damaged or crumbling headstones which were found to be unsafe have been laid flat while options for their repair are explored.

Ian Vincent, executive director at Daventry, said: "We have contact details for around 30 of the 54 affected graves and have sent out letters asking them to get in touch, though some of those details may now be out of date. "For the others, we just don't know because the graves are very old.

"This is an extremely delicate subject and we do not wish to cause distress or upset to bereaved families, but we have a legal responsibility to safeguard those visiting the cemetery.

"This means we must act to make the headstones safe."