Derek Armstrong wasn’t happy with the way his son’s headstone was discarded on the floor (Picture: ncjMedia Ltd)
A dad has spoken of his devastation after being told the grave for his triplets who died before their first birthday will be taken down, due to safety concerns.
Derek Armstrong was left heartbroken when he visited Heaton Cemetery in Newcastle to pay his respects at the memorial last week.
When he arrived he found the engraved headstone lying on the ground.
Derek was also visiting the cemetery to prepare the site where he would lay his mother-in-law’s ashes the following day.
He said he was ‘annoyed’ when he saw his sons’ headstone on the floor with a warning sign attached to it branding it ‘unsafe’.
Triplets Matthew, Daniel and Luke were born on 23 April 1995 at 24 weeks, ‘weighing just ounces’ but they sadly all died before they turned one.
Matthew died when he was just one day old, Daniel was nine days old and Luke died when he was five months old.
Health and safety checks are happening in cemeteries up and down the country (Picture: NCJ Media Ltd)
Derek, from Walkergate, said: ‘Luke went through a heart operation when he was only six inches long. He got through it.
As months went by he got to the green area in the hospital which means you’re coming home.
‘Doctors were there to discuss oxygen being put in the house but then we got the bad news that he wasn’t coming home because he was slowly dying. It was a lot to go through.’
Since the triplets were buried at Heaton Cemetery Derek says he has visited regularly to pay his respects. He leaves flowers on their grave in the summer and a Christmas card in December.
‘I was really annoyed when I saw what had happened. These are people’s memorials, they’re memories,’ he added.
He feels as if there was ‘nothing wrong’ with the headstone and said: ‘It was a big shock when I went there and they were taking graves down.
‘I couldn’t get my head around how many they had actually done.’
Derek said he has been quoted £300 plus VAT to have the headstone put back up.
Derek said he visits his sons’ grave regularly, laying flowers in summer and leaving a Christmas card in December (Picture: NCJ Media Ltd)
Safety inspections in have been happening in cemeteries across the country as part of the Health and Safety Work Act and involve visual and hand push tests of headstones over two feet tall to check if they are stable.
Any headstones found to be unsafe are cordoned off, laid flat on the ground with the inscription facing upwards or they have temporary supports installed.
The council must then contact the owner of the grave as they are then responsible for the memorial being repaired.
Derek said he wasn’t informed about his sons’ headstone as he hadn’t kept his address up to date, which he does accept responsibility for.
He continued: ‘I know it’s got to be done, but it’s the way that it’s been done.
‘I’m up all the time during the summer attending to it and it was sturdy, there was nothing wrong with it. It’s the time that it’s happening too, it feels very insensitive.’
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A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: ‘We have a legal duty to ensure our cemeteries are safe places for people to pay their respects and for our staff to work in. In June, we started a programme of work to carry out safety inspections in all 10 of the council’s managed cemeteries.
‘A decision to lay down a memorial is only taken if they are deemed to present a risk to the public.
‘We understand this is an emotive and sensitive subject but we would like to reassure families that the work is carried out with the greatest respect and sensitivity.
‘We always try to contact the last known owner should their headstone need to be repaired but please appreciate this may not always be possible. Our staff are always on hand to provide support and guidance to families so they can get their memorials repaired.
‘Residents can contact the Council’s Bereavement Services by calling 0191 211 6941 or emailing [email protected].’
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Derek Armstrong’s three sons all died before their first birthday.