Man shocked to see own gravestone

Andy Lees' gravestone was put up before his death

A terminally ill man has spoken of his shock after seeing his own gravestone in a West Lothian cemetery.

Andy Lees, 71, had paid for his funeral plot and headstone after being given six months to live by doctors.

However, the stone was erected in Blackburn's Blaeberryhill Cemetery and Mr Lees has since been fielding calls from friends about his "death".

Bill Grieve, of the Bathgate funeral director Thomas Grieve and Son, said he had done everything the family asked.

He said he complied with the family's wishes at all times.

I paid for everything but I didn't want anything erected but the next thing I knew I was getting phone calls from people asking if I was dead or alive Andy Lees

Mr Lees, a father-of-four, said: "I decided to pay for my own funeral before I died so that my kids didn't have to pay for anything when I died.

"So I paid for everything but I didn't want anything erected but the next thing I knew I was getting phone calls from people asking if I was dead or alive.

"It was a shock seeing myself in a grave, my legs started shaking and I had to be taken home.

"The funeral director said he was sorry and that he would take it down which was a relief but really the damage has now been done."