GRIEVING relatives have hit out at Blackburn with Darwen Council over its policy of removing "unsafe" headstones from graves.

Council workers are laying down headstones they feel are a potential danger as part of a safety directive.

But families in Darwen say they are devastated at the state of graves after a safety inspection. And they described the procedure as desecration.

Jean Grundy, 81, of Springthorpe Street, Darwen, said she had the shock of finding three of her relatives' graves condemned.

She said: "I go to my husband's grave, our family grave where my sister was buried and my auntie's grave. They've taken the headstones off them all. One of them has been up for under two years because we had my sister's name engraved on it and the stonemasons installed it again. How can they say that one isn't safe?

"I nearly cried when I saw them. My husband's headstone was new in 1999 so it isn't as though they are very old. I can't believe what has happened."

Alan Taylor, 68, of Cranberry Lane, visits Darwen Cemetery to go to his mother's grave.

He said: "All I can say is that it is akin to desecration.

"I was very angry and upset. The names on the bottom of the stone had been covered up with soil so we don't even know if it's been damaged. It had cellophane wrapped round it and a sticker telling us that it had been deemed unstable.

"We have been told we have to pay for the cost of it being put back again - a minimum of £200.

"If the council is planning to do something like this then some attempt should be made to contact the relatives.

"I will be taking this further. It's disgusting."

But Peter Hunt, the council's director of direct services, said: "Every council in mainland Great Britain is involved in health and safety checks on headstones in their area at the moment. This work has been ongoing and the public were notified of the work through advertisements placed in the local press. Signs were also erected in the graveyards.

"Headstones belong to the family of the deceased and if they are deemed to be faulty or in a dangerous condition they must be replaced. We realise this is a very sensitive issue and do not wish to upset anyone but we need to balance that with our responsibility to ensure that everyone can use the cemetery safely without the risk of accidents."