SHOCKED families have urged council bosses not to dig up their relatives' graves to make way for a new road.

And the descendants of people buried at St Peter's cemetery, Blackburn, have accused officials of insensitivity after only finding out about the plans through the Lancashire Telegraph.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has already decided to move as many as 200 bodies from the cemetery to make way for the £4million final section of Blackburn's new ringroad.

But a vault containing five members of 81-year-old Brenda Eden's family is in the Church of England cemetery, including her grandmother and grandfather .

Mrs Eden, who was born in Pleasington but has retired to Silverdale, near Lancaster, said she was "absolutely shocked" when she read about the plans, which were given the go-ahead last month.

A planning application has yet to be lodged, but council bosses now has the authority to compulsorily purchase all the land in the way of the road - including St Peter's cemetery.

Mrs Eden said: "I am against this. I was absolutely shocked when I heard.

"How are they going to contact other relatives to let them know what they are doing, and do they even try?

"I should imagine other people are shocked as well."

Mrs Eden, who worked for BT in Blackburn before moving north in 1987, has fond memories of her grandmother, who lived with the family and helped in their bakery on Grimshaw Park.

She added: "I still remember my grandmother's funeral, although I was only young.

"She was a wonderful woman. Her husband died young, and she lived with us. She would bake for us and looked after us all."

Mrs Eden's niece Linda Fuller lives in Bog Height Road, Darwen.

The 59-year-old has been researching the family history and read about the plans in the Lancashire Telegraph.

She said: "It's not a very nice way to find out. I would have thought putting adverts up beforehand would have been the decent thing to do.

"We would have liked the opportunity to have a say before it was all cut and dried."

Mrs Eden's husband, 82-year-old Normandy veteran John Eden, added: "I think it's appalling.

"I understand they think they need an orbital route in the town, but are there no alternative routes?"

And her sister Lois Kemp, who lives in Canada, has also contacted Blackburn with Darwen council to protest against the plans.

In a letter signed by her and her three sons, she wrote: "This is consecrated land and should not be disturbed."

Another descendant of people buried in the cemetery is Gloria Sven, who also lives in Canada.

The 64-year-old has written to the council after reading the report on the Lancashire Telegraph website.

Her great great great grandparents, Robert and Eleanor Todd, who lived in Bank Top, are buried in the cemetery.

Mrs Sven said: "A lot of people are going to get a surprise if they go back to the cemetery and look for the names."

Tim Mills, of national organisation Cruse Bereavement Care, said the failure to warn relatives in advance was "appalling".

He added: "There is a risk of this being traumatic for the relatives."

St Peter's CE Church was built next to the now disused graveyard but demolished in the 1970s.

The council is negotiating with the diocese over the removal of the bodies, and a priest would need to be present.

Coun Alan Cottam, executive member for regeneration, said: "We have not yet applied for planning permission so it is too early for the council to contact relatives.

"We have been contacted by a number of relatives of people in the graveyard and we will be keeping their details for when the deconsecration process starts, probably in spring 2008.

"The whole process could take up to nine months and we would treat the bodies with the appropriate respect before they are re-buried."

The road, which will link up with Freckleton Street bridge, is set to be completed in 2009.