Families may face gravestone bill

Families may have to meet the costs of the damage

Families may have to pay to repair about 50 headstones damaged at the Wilton Cemetery in Hawick.

The incident took place last week and police subsequently interviewed two youngsters and passed the case to the Children's Reporter.

Scottish Borders Council oversees the ground but the gravestones belong to the relatives who put them up.

Bereavement Officer Robert Mathieson said the authority would do what it could to help the families concerned.

It has been estimated that each stone could cost up to £170 to repair - a total of about £8,500 for all the damage.

Mr Mathieson said that the council had no obligation to meet any of the costs.

'Bit unfair'

"It is a bit hard to say - 'No we won't pick up the bill' - but the headstone, at the end of the day, doesn't belong to SBC it belongs to the family," he said.

"Really, by rights, they should be looking at doing it.

"I know from the council's perspective we would look at that and see what we could do because it is a bit unfair - you are looking at 50 headstones all in one go."

He said that the authority would see what measures were available to help towards the families' expenses.

"At the end of the day it is their property it should be down to them to do that," he said.

"But under the circumstances and the kind of thing it is, it is probably a thing where we would look to see what we could do to help these families."