AN Eastleigh widower claims that council safety checks caused major damage to his wife's memorial.

Distressed John Eyre, 69, has visited his wife's memorial in Eastleigh's Brookwood Cemetery almost every Sunday for eight years.

But last week he received a letter from Eastleigh Borough Council saying the memorial was unsafe.

When Mr Eyre visited the cemetery, he found the plaque of the memorial coming away from the pillars holding it in place. He said: "The force used by the so-called health and safety people who conducted these inspections must have been quite immense for it to break the plaque from its mountings."

Mr Eyre, of Darwin Road, consulted the memorial mason who supplied the plaque and was told it had been broken off by damage to the dowels in the pillars that hold the plaque up at an angle.

"This memorial has only been there eight years, there was nothing wrong with it on Christmas Day, and it was still in perfect order from the day it was first put there," he said.

"It is nothing more than desecration of a memorial to my late wife Kathleen."

Mr Eyre said that the damage caused to the memorial was so bad it had to be removed from the cemetery by the masonry company because they could not fix it there.

He added: "Eastleigh Borough Council says all memorials in the borough cemeteries will be subjected to inspection again over the next five years. Does this mean that I and all the other distraught people who have been affected by the inspection team will have to go through this again in the near future?"

Walking around the cemetery in Brookfield Avenue, Mr Eyre said the sight of graves strapped to a wooden stake with yellow safety tape was "grotesque".

"The people who do this are very insensitive and they have caused us and many more people whose loved ones are interned at the borough's cemeteries considerable distress and sadness," he added.

An Eastleigh Council spokesman said: "The council's inspection teams have been trained by the National Institute of Burial and Cremation Authorities and do not use excessive force when testing memorials."

David Burton, the council's head of direct services, added: "A memorial constructed properly and in good condition will not fail the test. The council has to ensure that the cemeteries are safe places for relatives and visitors."

COUNCIL'S RESPONSE TO DAILY ECHO REPORT:

FOLLOWING the Daily Echo's report last week over the securing of memorials and stones in the Chandler's Ford Ramalley Cemetery, Eastleigh Borough Council says it has revised its safety procedure.

Executive Councillor Alan Broadhurst said: "Following concerns about the visual impact of the warning tape affixed to memorials at Ramalley, the council has completed an urgent review of its procedures.

"Now, if a temporary repair is needed to a memorial, the stone will be supported and high visibility tape will only be applied to the supporting stake.

"Memorials which pose an immediate risk will be laid down and marked with tape to prevent a trip.

"I am sure this will reduce the adverse visual effect of the tape and help maintain the appearance of the cemetery."