EIGHTY mourners who were gathered around a graveside ready to pay their final respects to a Colne man were horrified to discover another body already in the plot.

As the coffin of 52-year-old Christopher Thompson was about to be lowered into the grave, a shriek rang out from one of the mourners who had spotted the other coffin.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Among the mourners was Christopher's devastated father, Jack Thompson, who then had to watch as the pallbearers slowly returned his son's coffin back to the horse and carriage hearse he had personally picked out to give his son a special farewell.

The funeral had to be cancelled and many of Jack's friends and relatives returned home without being able to say a proper goodbye.

The next day, Jack finally laid his son to rest, but only four other people were able to attend at such short notice.

Mourner Debbie Nolan, a close family friend, said: "It was terrible. All the mourners were gathered around the graveside and ready to say goodbye and the next thing, you just heard this scream.

"Then everyone was talking about there being somebody already in the grave.

"You can’t believe something like this would be able to happen. It was terrible for everyone involved, but mostly poor Jack. He’s a lovely man who just wanted to do right by his son.”

The coffin which had been mistakenly placed in the grave had to be exhumed and reburied. The family and friends of the man who had died were also devastated by the mix-up. Pendle Council, which is responsible for Colne Cemetery, has apologised for the mistake.

It said the distressing situation happened because two burial ceremonies happened within a short space of time and in adjoining plots.

It also said it was putting measures in place to ensure that a similar error did not happen again. Heartbroken Jack, 78, had bought the plot in 2006 when his wife

Iris, passed away. After the death of their son, he decided to bury Christopher next to her.

Jack, who worked at Rolls Royce in Barnoldswick for more than 20-years before retiring, said: “It’s awful. That plot was originally for me and my wife. Then I found out there was another man lying next to her. It’s terrible to think about.

"It's bad enough to see my son being buried without all this.

“Eighty people had come to the funeral to pay their respects and say goodbye to Christopher and they all had to go back home without seeing the burial.

“Some people had travelled from Lancaster and further afield and they couldn’t say a proper goodbye.

"After it was cancelled it was too short notice to get everyone together again.”

Jack said he had hired a horse and carriage again to take his son to the cemetery the next day.

He said: “I had to hire it again the next day but it wasn’t the same.

“It was very disheartening. Originally there were over eighty people who came to pay their respects but on the day he was actually buried there were only five of us there.

“I don’t know how this could happen. The council didn’t give us a proper explanation or offer to help us in anyway.”

Deputy chief executive of Pendle Council, Phillip Mousdale, said: “This has been very distressing for the families and upsetting for staff.

"We have offered a sincere apology to the families and the mistake we made has been sorted out.”

Close family friend Christopher Nolan, who works as a building contractor, however said the graves were not next to each other. In fact, Mr Thompson's grave was in the row in front.

He said: "The council has said that the plots were 'adjoining' but that's just not true at all. "The graves were not joined and even if they were, this should not have happened."