DOLVIN Road Cemetery has been closed to the public by Tavistock Town Council following an incident in which a member of its staff fell through the surface of an old grave. Recent heavy winds caused the collapse of a large tree branch, which smashed through a grave, revealing a large space. Staff then carried out tests and found large areas of the cemetery seemed to have dangerous voids below. It appeared that old burials involved the coffins being covered with a slate 'lid', on top of which a thin crust of earth was placed for multiple or family burials. Now, the coffins have disintegrated, leaving a void with a thin slate covering over it and the decaying 'lid' is collapsing when pressure is placed on the top. Professional burial associations have been consulted, and to discover the extent of the danger a consultant has been approached to undertake a ground radar survey. Chairman of the cemetery committee Ted Sherrell said: 'We apologise to people who usually lay wreaths and flowers at Christmas time but due to current health and safety reasons we dare not put people at risk until we get the report back from the surveyors and then we can take remedial action.' Until the results of the survey are available the cemetery will remain locked and closed to the public.