GRAVE diggers left a four-feet-high pile of soil covering a family’s plot.

The actions of the workers at Pleasington Cemetery have been described as insensitive by relatives.

Bosses at Blackburn with Darwen Council apologised, but said it was standard practice as there was nowhere else to put the soil when digging new graves.

The workers left the pile of soil while digging out a new plot next to the Hannan family grave.

Patrick Hannan, 22, was stabbed to death on New Year’s Eve in 1990 in Blackburn.

He is burried in the plot with his mum Mary, 62, who lost her battle to lung cancer in January this year.

Mary’s daughter Kelly Duxbury, 30, who lives with her five children in Addison Street, Blackburn, went to the grave on Tuesday to leave flowers for her mum’s birthday and a ‘Christmas present’ for her brother.

She said she was devastated to be greeted with the pile of soil covering the plot.

Kelly said it had caused ‘unnecessary upset’.

“I was so shocked to see the mess as I approached the grave. I thought they were actually digging up my mum and brother. It was awful, “ she said.

Ms Duxbury said they had arrived at 11am and were told to come back at 2pm when the ‘mess would be cleared’. She said: “The attitude of the workers was awful. They didn’t seem to care about who was lying there and why I was actually there.”

Peter Hunt, director of regeneration and environ-ment at the council apologised for any upset caused. He said: "We had to open the grave adjacent to Kelly’s mother's and brother's for a funeral which was taking place.

“As soon as the funeral was held, the soil was replaced and the area was tidied up.

"This is standard practice because the graves are close to each other.”

Labour leader Kate Hollern said the council should be ‘more considerate’.

She said: “I can understand that it is upsetting for the family.”