A man discovered tire tracks on his late brother’s grave in Sittingbourne. He is seeking answers and repairs from the council.
Mark died in 1996 after being ill for a long time. Paul was very upset by the tire tracks and thought it was disrespectful to the dead. Consequently, he contacted Swale Borough Council about it.
The council manages the cemetery. They apologized for what happened, explaining that workers left the tracks by accident when going to a different grave site. The council also said they would investigate fully.
Paul lives in Deal and works as a postman. He showed photos of the damage to people, and those who saw the photos were all shocked, he said. He also noted that more than one grave had tire tracks, with three or four having damage.
Paul’s sister emailed the pictures to the council three times, but she did not receive any reply. Paul then made a formal complaint and the council replied on February 12 with an apology.
An official defended the workers, stating that contractors needed to reach another grave. Despite the explanation, Paul is still angry and wants the damaged grass fixed by seeding or returfing. He is also unhappy with how they handled it.
He thought they would fix it right away because graves deserve respect. He believes driving on graves is wrong, especially since it’s a short walk to the other grave. Paul wants the council to be more careful. He thinks it is just disrespectful.
The council gave a statement in response. They said their contractors use large equipment to dig new graves and for during regular maintenance. They acknowledged that damage can happen sometimes, especially during wet weather. The council apologized for any distress caused, stating that they try to avoid these issues.
The council also stated that they work to repair the damage and claim they started investigating on February 9. According to the council, they began the process of fixing the issue.