A BROTHER and sister have slammed Mid Devon District  Council for “lacking respect” after the graves of their parents were buried under a mound of earth and rubble in Tiverton last week.

Phoenix House officials have been branded “inconsiderate” for ignoring pleas not to cover the resting places of Victor and Rosemary Rowe while digging a new grave  at Park Road cemetery. Anthony Rowe and his sister  Theresa Summerfield, who both live in the town, said they were left “furious and upset” by the council, which they claim  refused to clear up the mess.

Self-employed courier Mr Rowe, 37, said he arrived on Monday, February 1, to place flowers and clear the headstone of frost only to find earth being slung over the plot by gravediggers.

The graves of Victor Rowe, who died of a heart attack at 49 in 1994, and his wife Rosemary, who died of  cancer in 1992 aged 55, were left unidentifiable.

Mr Rowe said: “The council has been inconsiderate. I was not  able to leave flowers at their graves. I was the first to see it and, at the time, I was both furious and upset as they didn’t have the right to do it. Somebody from the council approached me to say they were digging and would it would be acceptable if mud was put on dad’s grave. I said no but they just carried on doing it.

“We can’t blame the guys for digging because they were told to by the council. But the manager pulled up and I asked him why it was put on the grave and he said ‘it has to go somewhere’ and that he was not going to move it.

“That was just ignorant. They should have put the mud in a trailer and taken it away.”

When he arrived at the grave at 10.30am, he said he shared some “unprintable” words with the diggers after flowers were removed  and an old carpet thrown over the headstone.

He also fears the damp weather and volume of earth  will cause the graves to sink.

Cllr Ray Radford, Mid Devon District Council’s portfolio holder for street scene, said he has written  to Mr Rowe  to apologise for any distress caused.

He said the authority’s bereavement team are “very sensitive to the feelings of relatives of the deceased” and take “the utmost care” to minimise the impact of necessary movement of earth at the graveyard.

Cllr Radford added: “We always endeavour to make contact with relatives prior to the digging of an adjacent grave when we believe there may be some disruption which might temporarily affect a grave.  Official council records did not hold a current contact in respect of this particular grave. With the best of intentions, a council employee spoke to Mr Rowe on Monday, February 1, about the opening of an adjacent grave as he was personally aware of the family connection.

“We know the practices we carry out are common throughout the country, “ he said, “but we will be carrying out a review to see if we can make any improvements to our practices to further minimise the inconvenience to the bereaved.”