A COUNCIL has come under fire for asking bereaved relatives to fix "dangerous" headstones - when neighbouring authorities have carried out the work for free.

A Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council spokesman said it was "not policy" for them to pay for the repair of the 400 headstones found to be a health and safety risk at Pleasington Cemetery.

But both Hyndburn and Burnley councils paid for repairs to headstones.

Bereaved relatives of loved ones buried in Pleasington Cemetery are facing repair bills of more than £100 to secure the headstones.

Yesterday we revealed how inspectors had put stickers on about 400 headstones at the cemetery and - in some cases - inserted wooden stakes for additional support.

Some relatives said the first they knew of a problem was when they visited a grave.

Between 2005 and July, 13 2007, 6,252 headstones in Burnley Cemetery were inspected and 1,146 were found to be a health and safety risk.

Of these, 917 were made temporarily safe and 229 were laid down. The council has paid for the inspection and resultant repair work to be carried out.

In the past year Hyndburn Council has repaired 307 headstones at Accrington Cemetery. Paul Fleck, health and safety officer at the authority, said improving the state of headstones has been taken "very seriously" by the council.

He said: "Money has been made available by the council and we have done a lot of work to check and restore headstones."

The Government ordered checks on headstones across the country after a series of accidents.

A force equivalent to that exerted by a person to pull themselves from kneeling is applied by a tool known as a "Topple Tester". If any movement is found, the headstone is labelled a health and safety risk.

The headstone of Eileen Eastham's husband, Robert, who died 13 years ago, is one found to be a risk at Pleasington Cemetery.

Mrs Eastham said: "You go through all that trauma of death and spend a lot of time choosing the right memorial, so it is very, very upsetting to see it handled in this way."

Coun Alan Cottam, executive member for regeneration for the council, said: "The council is not responsible for maintaining headstones but has a duty through health and safety laws to make sure they are safe which is what we have been doing for the last 12 months in cemeteries across the borough.

"These headstones are failing where the joint is with the dowels or where the base has become loose on the foundations.

"Should someone find that their headstone is unsafe, they need to contact their stonemason to ask for it to be repaired - some have offered this repair for free."