Agony for Cheryl as her grandparents’ graves are 'deliberately knocked down' by 'disrespectful' council | The Sun
CHERYL Tweedy faces agony after her grandparents' graves were "deliberately knocked over" by a bungling council.
The graves of Brian and Margaret Tweedy have reportedly been flattened at Heaton Cemetery in Newcastle.
It is understood that Newcastle City Council toppled the headstones following safety concerns.
Cheryl was extremely close to her gran Margaret, who died aged 60 in 2001.
The star's uncle, Tony Tweedy, told the Mirror: "I can imagine she will be upset when she finds out, she's like the rest of us.
"She gets emotional about things. Her dad will tell her what's happened.
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"She doesn't come up to Newcastle as much now, but she will be saddened by this."
Tony, 59, said the council made no effort to contact the Tweedy family about its decision to remove the headstones.
They only learned after Tony's brother went to the graves to pay his respects and found them knocked over.
The family reportedly faces a bill of more than £500 to repair the headstones.
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A yellow label reading "Warning: This memorial is unsafe" has reportedly been placed on the headstones.
But Tony said that Brian and Margaret's graves were stable and in good condition.
He said: "We are disgusted by what's happened. The council couldn't have done this at a worse time, just before Christmas."
Several other graves were also removed – including that of Derek Armstrong's triplet sons who all died as babies.
Derek had come to visit Matthew, Daniel and Luke's resting place when he discovered the headstone on the ground.
Meanwhile, Jo, who did not want her surname disclosed, said she was heartbroken after her family's stone was moved.
She told the BBC: “My mam’s been dead for 38 years and we’ve always maintained her grave, and this is what we get.
“[Newcastle City Council] could have least have warned us. It’s totally disrespectful. This is the only place we’ve got to remember them.
“Now what do we have to do? Pay more money to get them back up. What about people who haven’t got the money?”
Lynn Davidson's grandmother, mother and sister's joint stone has also been removed.
She explained: “I was devastated, I couldn’t believe it. When we were walking over to the grave I could see something and I said ‘what’s that on the grave?’ And I just got myself totally upset.
“At first I thought it was just ours but we had a walk around the cemetery and there are tons.”
Newcastle City Council said: "We have a legal duty to ensure our cemeteries are safe places for people to pay their respects and for our staff to work in.
"In June, we started a programme of work to carry out safety inspections in all 10 of the council’s managed cemeteries.
"A decision to lay down a memorial is only taken if they are deemed to present a risk to the public.
"We understand this is an emotive and sensitive subject but we would like to reassure families that the work is carried out with the greatest respect and sensitivity.
"We always try to contact the last known owner should their headstone need to be repaired but please appreciate this may not always be possible.
"Our staff are always on hand to provide support and guidance to families so they can get their memorials repaired."
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