Furious families visiting their loved ones’ graves in Glasgow were met by an unpleasant surprise.
Large stickers were placed on the graves by Glasgow City Council to declare if they were unsafe.
The council say they put the stickers there to alert those who care for the graves of the safety standards of graves as they had no other way to know who was looking after them.
But those visiting their loved ones were not happy to see the large stickers, sometimes covering the names of those laid to rest.
The labels have sparked anger on social media where people accused the local authority of being disrespectful towards the dead, reports BBC.
Glasgow City Council has justified the stickers as a way to “reach out to families” where it was uncertain who had responsibility for maintaining the memorial.
Sami Tollett said she was visiting her father’s resting place at Riddrie Park Cemetery when she noticed a number of graves around it had the prominent stickers displayed.
She said: “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.”
One social media user said: “How can someone do this and think it would be ok?”
The inspections of grave stones were carried out after eight-year-old boy, Ciaran Williamson, died when a headstone in Cardonald’s Craigton Cemetery fell on him in 2015.
Following the incident, an accident inquiry into his death heard that up to 900 headstones at Craigton were deemed unsafe.
Glasgow City Council said safety in cemeteries was an “absolute priority” and the stickers were used because it was “very challenging” to track down owners of some graves.
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.
“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.”
While some have been unhappy at the decision, other social media users say the labels are necessary, John Henderson posted on X: “Ok, councils have a duty to ensure gravestones are safe, after the death of a child hit by one, but they ought to show sensitivity by now obscuring names and dates of death.”
