Widower demands apology for workers’ rubbish left in grave

Walter Wigley, 69, said he had visited the grave of his late wife Ivy every day since her funeral last month.

But, he added, he was shocked and angered when he discovered rubbish, including a broken industrial ear defender and a work glove, under the surface of the soil on the plot at a council-run cemetery, in Conisbrough, near Doncaster.

The retired motor mechanic, and father of four, of nearby Denaby Main, is now demanding an apology from the council for “desecrating” his 69-year-old wife’s grave.

He said: “I was disgusted, there is just no excuse for this. Whoever did this has insulted my late wife and my family and they should be ashamed of themselves. This should never have been allowed to happen.

“The grave is only a couple of yards from the bins so why couldn’t they have put the rubbish in the bins instead of dumping it on the grave. It makes you wonder what other stuff they have put in the graves.”

In a statement, Doncaster council’s assistant director of trading and support services, Dave Wilkinson, said: “The council follows a strict code for grave digging and staff are fully trained. Following allegations of additional items being found at the grave, we apologise to the family for any distress caused.

“We are liaising with the family directly on this matter and have appointed an officer to thoroughly investigate this issue.”