FURIOUS Glasgow residents have blasted the council for slapping “disgusting” warning signs on their dead relatives’ gravestones.
Glasgow City Council has been slammed by visitors to the city‘s cemeteries for placing stickers on the stone memorials – in some cases even over the deceased’s name.
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The labels state that the headstone had been inspected but failed safety standards.
But they have sparked anger among grieving locals who have accused the local authority of being disrespectful towards the dead.
Council bosses said the stickers were a way to “reach out to families” if they couldn’t find who was responsible for maintaining the grave.
Photos from Lambhill Cemetery on Friday afternoon show multiple gravestones plastered with the labels.
One has even been placed on the family plot of Eric Smith, ex-Celtic and Scotland player and manager.
Sami Tollett spotted the stickers when she was visiting the resting place of her father at Riddrie Park Cemetery.
She told BBC Scotland News: “It’s disgusting and morally wrong to deface somebody’s resting place.
“It’s actually sad to see. It used to be a lovely place, well kept and maintained, but now it’s an eyesore.
“It’s even worse with the big stickers all over the headstones.”
And graveyard visitor Gillian Sooter told the BBC she was upset to see the stickers at Lambhill cemetery.
She added: “It looks terrible to think your loved ones are lying here and on their stones are a big white sticker, covering up people’s names.”
Graveyards are maintained privately, rather than by the city council itself.
Families usually hire a stone mason to work on them.
In May 2015, an eight-year-old boy Ciaran Williamson died when a headstone fell on top of him in Cardonald’s Craigton Cemetery.
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In 2018, Ciaran’s family won a six-figure compensation payout from council chiefs following civil action.
A fatal accident inquiry following his death found that up to 900 headstones were deemed unsafe in the days after the tragedy.
Glasgow City Council said safety was their “absolute priority” with stickers being used as it was “very challenging” to track down owners to some stones.
A spokesperson said: “Regular inspections of headstones is a statutory obligation for the council but the maintenance and upkeep of any memorial is a matter for the owner.
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“However, as owners themselves pass on, identifying a person to take responsibility for headstone maintenance can become very challenging.
“Applying these notices to headstones is an effective way to reach out to families and they have helped us to make contact with people who have an interest in undertaking necessary repairs.”
