CEMETERIES across Pendle are set to be made safer after thousands of headstones were inspected and a number were categorised as "dangerous."

The move comes after a visitor to a cemetery in Harrogate was killed by a loose headstone and recommendations were made to councils throughout the country to review heath and safety standards in cemeteries.

The National Association of Memorial Masons inspected 7,221 headstones at the six cemeteries provided by Pendle Council -- Barrowford, Ghyll, Barnoldswick, Salterforth, Wheatlands, Earby, Colne, and Nelson. Barnoldswick, Nelson and Colne cemeteries were found to have dangerous ratings. Improvement work was carried out at Barnoldswick and Nelson cemetery during Easter and work at Colne Cemetery is set start after the Easter break which is estimated to take around four weeks to complete. Monumental masons have been appointed to carry out the repair work at a cost of between £50 and £100 per headstone.

West Craven Committee originally put forward £3,000 to help fund the repair work, but the council has recommended that the money be reimbursed after no other area committees gave financial assistance.

Kathryn Hudson, principal development officer, said: "The move came about after the incident in Harrogate, it made councils's across the country think about the safety of their cemeteries.

"We have now put aside £5,000 from the council's budget to fund an annual inspection and to pay for any repair work that may need doing throughout the year.

"It has been recommended to simply 'lie down' headstones if they have been damaged but we felt this may cause upset for relatives visiting the cemeteries and have decided to pay for the repairs."