A Blackburn man said his family has been left ‘distressed’ by the removal of grave surrounds and pots from the grave of his father, but council officials say rules for the cemetery are clear. 

Tuseef Rahman said his father died in November and was buried in the new Muslim section of Pleasington Cemetery.

The family had been tending to the grave regularly but last Tuesday discovered flower pots and surroundings to the grave had been removed.

Last year, following the opening of the new section the council had said, grave surrounds, planted shrubs were not permitted in the new lawned section of the graveyard.

Tuseef said his father, Matlub Hussain, had suffered a stroke and had spent nine weeks in the hospital where he was in 24-hour care with his family by his side. He died on November 13.

He said: “It was a heart-breaking moment and we all relive it every day.

“It was shocking to find last Tuesday morning when my sister went to the grave that the council pulled out all the plinth surrounds, all the memorial pots and destroyed the flowers.

"They did not even replant the flowers.

“As a grieving family, the last thing we expected was the cemetery to disrespect dad’s grave.”

The new Muslim section of the cemetery is a ‘lawned’ area and last summer families spoke out after being told any ‘temporary structures or planting of trees or shrubs on the site’ had been banned.

Following a consultation with mosque representatives, an agreement had been reached that plants could be placed in pots next to graves.

It was agreed there would be no restrictions on flowers to be placed at sites anywhere in the cemetery, but these would be removed within two weeks by staff within the new section.

Families were also told that the mounds of graves would have to be no higher than six inches.

Blackburn with Darwen Council had said last year it ‘sympathised’ with families, but the rules were in force for people of all faiths within the new section of the cemetery.

There are no such rulings in the older sections of the cemetery for all faiths and none.

The council said it had made a 'huge effort in the last few months to ensure families are fully aware of the rules and regulations, including placing signage around the cemetery'.

Tuseef said the banned grave surrounds had been installed to deter wildlife after "animals like deer had come and walked over the grave, ate the flowers and destroyed the shape of the grave".

He said: “We as a family maintain the grave, we added the soil, flowers and wooden plinths to protect the grave. This did a brilliant job at also deterring the wild animals coming at night."

However, as they are not permitted the surrounds have been removed, which Tuseef claimed was the council "destroying" his father's grave which as given the family "extra grief".

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Tuseef said he was sent a form to detailing terms and conditions but felt these did not clarify the rulings.

He also questioned why the rules for the new section of the cemetery were different to the old areas, and called on the council to "guarantee graves will be protected from animals".

Rules for the extension state after burial the grave will be "turfed or seeded by the council", by Tuseed has vowed "we will never let lawn grow on it".

He also claimed grieving families are not "of rationally sane mind" to sign a contract with the council about cemetery rules, "let alone to read the fine print".

Blackburn with Darwen Council's strategic director of environment and operations, Martin Eden, said: "The rules and regulations for the Pleasington extension are discussed with the family prior to the burial taking place.

"A contract including all the terms and conditions is then either digitally or physically signed by the grave owner and a copy is sent to them on the day of the burial.  Rules and regulations can also be found on our website.

"When the grave deed is produced and sent to the grave owner, a rules and regulations booklet is posted at the same time.

"We have made a huge effort in the last few months to ensure families are fully aware of the rules and regulations, including placing signage around the cemetery.

"The rules and regulations clearly state we are unable to accommodate items on graves.

"Some graves show families continue to disregard the rules and because of this, on April 13, we hand delivered several letters across the borough to notify them action would need to be taken within a certain timeframe unless rules were abided by.

"Sadly, as the allotted timeframe has passed, we have had no choice but to start removing items.

"All items removed are kept for a minimum of 28 days to enable owners to reclaim them, after which the items will no longer be able to be accessed.

"We understand and appreciate how difficult the situation must be for families, however it is our duty to ensure that the graves are kept in a respectful condition for all those visiting the cemetery, and we only wish for cooperation with this."