CEMETERY bosses have defended their decision to put ‘caution’ tape on 175 headstones deemed unsafe.

Families were left devastated when they turned up to Whalley, Wiswell and Barrow Cemetery and discovered the tape on a large percentage of headstones.

Tracey Edwardson, whose mum Bettey died earlier this year and is is buried at the cemetery, branded the move ‘disrespectful and said the cemetery now looks like a building site.

Ms Edwardson, 43, who lives in Great Harwood, said: “My mum and dad were together since they were teenagers. Her death has been very hard on him and he is lost without her. He goes up there two or three times a day just to be close to her and talk to her.

“He was devastated when he went up and saw all the tape. It looks like a building site. it is so disrespectful. Nobody was written to before they took this action. I know that because we have other family members buried up there and noone was contacted about them. We want them to start again using a more respectful approach.”

A petition has been set up calling for the tape to be removed.

The cemetery is owned jointly by Whalley and Wiswell parish councils and is managed by a committee made up of councillors from both parish councils.

Cllr Susan Earnshaw, who chairs the committee, said a scheduled safety inspection was carried out by a stone mason earlier this year. Cllr Earnshaw said a number of headstones were deemed unsafe and having carried out their own tests the committee felt they had no option but to tape off those potentially at risk of collapse in the interest of safety. She said it would cost £100 per memorial to fix and that was money the council didn’t have.

Cllr Earnshaw said the council is is in the process of writing to the owners of the memorials but felt public safety had to take priority.

She said: “We heartily regret any upset caused to relatives however we sometimes have to take difficult decisions for the safety of visitors and the upkeep of the cemetery.”