Dundee headstones damaged in a freak car accident are now being tidied up, more than a month later in what has been branded an “insensitive” delay.
A number of headstones in Balgay Cemetery were knocked over in August by a motorist who lost control of a red Hyundai.
Councillor Charlie Malone criticised Dundee City Council’s response to the situation and said they had not done enough to contact grieving families.
He said: “When it happened, the council just placed a wooden post at the graves with a number to call.
“Some of the families will live further away so they may not visit the grave for a long time.
“I think just leaving a number to call is perhaps not the best approach.
“The state of the headstones has meant the families have been grieving all over again. It’s a mess.
“It was at least insensitive. The council needs to be more proactive in finding the families.”
Lynn Balmer was among those to find out about the damage indirectly.
She was attending a funeral in the cemetery in the days after when she discovered the headstone on the grave of her mother and father was one of those affected.
At the time Ms Balmer said she had been very upset with the “rude and callous” way she was spoken to by council staff when she called the helpline.
Some of the headstones were badly damaged in the incident, while others appear to have suffered only superficial scratches.
Around half a dozen of the worst damaged ones ended up underneath the car after it came to a stop.
Mr Malone added: “The council will have to find out which stones belong to which family.
“I think though that there needs to be an idea of what to do if those families can’t be found.”
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “Following the accident involving a car at Balgay Cemetery, we have worked to ensure the headstones at the cemetery are safe for visitors.
“We have made efforts to contact the families affected by the accident.”
There were no injuries and no one was arrested or charged, with Police Scotland believing the incident to be an accident.
