Burials halted by bad weather.Byline: By Sian Powell A BURIAL ban has been introduced in Coventry because of the weather. The unprecedented move follows weeks of rain which have flooded one of the city's biggest graveyards - Canley cemetery. The cemetery has become badly waterlogged and the city council says it is not safe to dig or visit new graves at the site. Staff are now working seven days a week just to drain the burial area and lay temporary paths. Grieving families are being warned that they may not be able to bury their loved ones for weeks. The alternative is for burial at Lentons Lane cemetery in Hawkesbury. The ban does not apply to families with existing plots. Cllr Kevin Foster For other uses of "Kevin Foster", see Kevin Foster (disambiguation). Kevin Christopher Foster (born January 13, 1969 in Evanston, Illinois), is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1993-2001. , who has responsibility for city services The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. , said: "We've reluctantly had to take the decision to postpone burials in new graves for the time being . . . the limited area we have at Canley is just not safe for people to work in, or for visitors." Graves - which are normally dug out by mechanical diggers Diggers, members of a small English religio-economic movement (fl. 1649–50), so called because they attempted to dig (i.e., cultivate) the wastelands. They were an offshoot of the more important group of Puritan extremists known as the Levelers. - cannot even be dug by and as the soil is so waterlogged. Cllr Foster added: "This is not a step we have taken lightly and we understand this may cause upset, but there is no other alternative. We don't want people to turn up to a funeral and the grave is not ready." The crematorium cre·ma·to·ri·um n. pl. cre·ma·to·ri·ums or cre·ma·to·ri·a A furnace or establishment for the incineration of corpses. crematorium Noun pl -riums or at Canley is unaffected by the closure. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Bablake Weather Station in Coventry, February saw more than twice the normal average rainfall for the month. The week February 19-25 was the wettest on record. Cllr Foster said: "We are working very closely with local funeral directors and bereaved families to support them during a very difficult time for them and I sincerely hope people understand why we've had to make this difficult decision." Earlier this week, the Telegraph reported how mum, Linda Cowley finds her son Thomas's grave at Canley covered in water every time it rains. CAPTION(S): BAN: Council asks for understanding on 'difficult decision'; SOAKED ... The cemetery at Canley, in Coventry, is so waterlogged that officials have decided it wouldn't be safe to dig new graves. |
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