A DISTRESSED local from Oswaldtwistle has spoken of her shock after discovering a “disrespectful notice” on her loved one’s gravestone earlier this week.

The woman's sister is buried at Immanuel Churchyard, and she said she has never encountered any issues until a family member visited on Monday, June 6.

Upon entering the cemetery, they found a notice taped to the headstone, covering her name.

The blunt notice stuck onto the gravestone with tape read: “To Family Member Concerned. Please Tel Graham. Regarding Grave side Regulation.”

She said: “It's so disrespectful covering the lost loved one’s name.

“If there are any problems or concerns a polite notice to all in the graveyard would of been a better idea!”

She tried ringing the number left for Graham, but said she has received no response from the person responsible.

Others have shared that they have seen the same notice stuck on other gravestones whilst visiting.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Parish of Oswaldtwistle is legally responsible for the care and maintenance of Immanuel Graveyard.

The churchyard is not managed by Hyndburn Council but by the church and its volunteers.

The Parish is part of the Diocese of Blackburn which has a code of regulations to prevent any accidents occurring such as the possibility of slips, trips and falls caused by uneven ground and broken headstones.

Responding to the matter in a statement, The Archdeacon of Blackburn, The Venerable Mark Ireland, said: "We ask all families with loved ones interred in our churchyards to be aware that graves should adhere to those regulations as far as possible.

"These are designed both to protect the character of the churchyard and also to protect the safety of the volunteers.”

If there is a risk of hazard, guidelines state that reasonable attempts must be made to contact the family member to notify them of the safety issue, before issuing what should be an “appropriate warning notice” that can be placed on the stone.

The woman, who shared her dismay on Facebook, said she had not been contacted anyone from the Church about the matter before the notice appeared.

Licensed Lay Minister in the Parish of Oswaldtwistle, Judith Addison, said Rev. Martin Joss, the vicar of Immanuel Church and two other churches in the area, has been off sick for several months so a 'self-supporting minister' has stepped in to assist and has been made aware of the matter.

Each church has two volunteers known as 'church wardens' who “would ultimately be responsible for ensuring any decisions made by the PCC regarding Immanuel Graveyard were put into practice".

The PCC has been made aware a new church warden was recently appointed, and "likely got ahead of themselves when carrying out safety inspections in Immanuel Graveyard".

Archdeacon Ireland added: "If a particular grave is causing concern, for whatever reason, we would normally expect the family to be approached as pastorally and sensitively as possible and asked to remedy the situation.

“As this hasn't happened in this case, I have asked the local Area Dean to step in and meet with representatives of the Parochial Church Council and the family.

"Hopefully by working together they can come to an agreed way forward.”