MEMORIALS in Tavistock?s Plymouth Road cemetery are resting safely again thanks to work by the town council.
The scheme to improve safety of the headstones in the graveyard?s consecrated ground was started last year and 72 gravemarkers were found to be unsafe.
Twenty-four were repaired and the rest were made safe either by being laid at an angle, placed inside the kerb of the grave or being cut into the ground to lie flat.
Work has now started on the unconsecrated area of the cemetery with 35 additional memorials being declared unsafe, of which local masons, primarily Pascoe and Sons, have repaired fifteen.
Of the remainder, no trace has yet been found of the deceased?s relatives so, after advertising details, grave markers will be made safe as appropriate.
The final phase of the safety initiative will see tests carried out on the Dolvin Road monuments and vaults, but as many are of historical interest the future of any that are dangerous, where relatives cannot be contacted, will be decided on a case-by-case basis by the town council.
Work to improve the safety of gravemarkers was instituted countrywide following the tragic death in 2000 of a young child in a Harrogate cemetery.
Each memorial is tested to bear a weight of 30kg ?in the event of failure headstones are covered by a yellow warning bag.
As far as possible relatives will be notified of the dangerous state of memorials and given the opportunity to effect repairs ? anyone with a query should contact Tavistock Town Council on 01822 617352.