I face being banned from Hebburn Cemetery if I continue cleaning graves
South Tyneside Council has warned a Hebburn man that he faces being banned from a borough cemetery if he continues to clean graves.
A man has been warned that he faces a court-ordered ban from Hebburn Cemetery if he continues to volunteer his time to clean graves.
Earlier this year, Ben McGregor launched the Hebburn Cemetery Gravestone Transformations on Facebook to clean graves for free for of those who might not have time to do it themselves.
The page proved to be popular and the 25-year-old’s work even saw him shortlisted for a South Tyneside Council-backed #LoveSouthTyneside Award.
‘It is really frustrating’
Despite this, the Council called on him to stop due to health and safety concerns - something which Ben says he complied with until a local cadets group shared photos of youngsters cleaning graves in Hebburn Cemetery.
Ben said: “I stopped as I was being threatened with fines but I want to start again because I don’t understand how the cadets can be allowed but I can’t.
“It is really frustrating because all I want to do is help the local community as well as helping myself with my mental health.
“I think it is great what the cadets are doing but if the Council is telling me that it is unsafe, then why are they allowed?
“They’ve constantly told me I need health and safety certificates and risk assessments but where is all of that for the kids?
“I’ve asked how I can get the certificates because I would do anything to continue but it feels like I’m being blocked at every opportunity.”
Permission has been granted to no-one
South Tyneside Council has stated that permission to clean graves has not been granted to any individual or group and that the cadets have been advised to stop.
A spokesperson commented: "The Council has not given permission for any group to clean headstones or memorials in Hebburn Cemetery.
“We were only made aware of this activity last week. In light of evidence that memorials may have been cleaned, we have contacted the squadron to advise activity stops.
"Headstones and memorials are private property and no-one is permitted to carry out work on them without the appropriate qualifications, permissions, insurance, risk assessments and prior approval from the Council.
“We have a legal responsibility to ensure activity in our cemeteries is carried out safely and does not expose families, volunteers or the Council to potential liability.
"This is not about discouraging people from caring for our cemeteries.
“This is about ensuring that work involving headstones and memorials is undertaken safely, lawfully and with the appropriate permissions in place."
Potential cemetery ban
Hebburn Cemetery is a special place for Ben as his dad, gran, grandad and best friend are all buried there.
Earlier this week, Ben received a letter from the Council threatening to ban him should he continue.
South Tyneside Council has confirmed that it would like to resolve the matter “through cooperation” rather than enforcement.
The spokesperson added: "The Council has formally requested that unauthorised memorial cleaning ceases.
“This follows a number of discussions with Mr McGregor over recent months, including a meeting with Council officers at which the reasons for the Council's position were explained in detail and alternative ways of undertaking this work were discussed.
“The letter explains the next steps open to the Council if activity continues, but our preference is always to resolve the matter through cooperation rather than enforcement.
“The Council's position is unchanged and is based on safety, ownership and liability considerations."