United Kingdom: Couple accidentally buried on top of each other

There is a problem in the beautiful town of Dunhead St Andrews in Wiltshire (South West England). A family is furious with the authorities after an unfortunate mistake made by a mortician. A woman who died last July was actually buried over her husband who died a few years ago. However, the relatives of both had made arrangements to bury the husband and wife side by side a long time ago. A mistake so embarrassing that the Parish Council interrupted its vacation to deal with the case.

When his wife died last summer, the employee responsible for digging her grave did not follow his superiors’ instructions and worked in the wrong place. “Unfortunately, she dug up her husband’s grave and buried him there,” she explains “Daily Mail” Simon Burgham, Chairman of the Parish Council. “The open grave was not where it should have been, so there was a double burial. The one that should have been open is empty and the family no longer needs it,” he adds. To make matters worse, the worker has dumped soil at the back of the cemetery instead of digging in the designated area.

After this fiasco, the local funeral directors had to pay 400 pounds (445 francs) to Donhead St Andrew’s congregation. “Our main concern is to ensure that no financial burden is placed on the grieving family. (…) Our priority is to work together to find a solution for all parties involved,” the funeral directors assured. For its part, the parish council plans to ask the bereaved family to donate an unused cemetery, as there are only a few spaces left.