MOURNERS at Gwendraeth Valley village were distressed to discover that gravestones, some just six months old , at Moriah Chapel have been clamped for health and safety reasons , with many visitors reporting that no notification was given to grievers.
The Herald was concerned to discover that members of Llannon Community Council had added yellow and black clamps to a large quantity of gravestones within the grounds of the chapel. Some stones had been placed within the grounds as early as just six months prior with no visible damage.
Mourners at the chapel have stated that no notification was given prior to the addition of the large clamps and have expressed distress at the lack of consideration as well as concern that other members of the bereaved of those buried within graveyard are not yet aware of the changes and will experience tribulation upon discovery.
Work on the gravestones began last Friday (Jun 24), with health and safety experts attending the site to perform safety checks on the gravestones in order to ensure that each stone wasn’t a risk to visitors of the chapel. 28 gravestones did not pass the Council’s safety regulation despite the grounds being of relatively recent construction.
A notice was placed at Moriah Chapel informing attendees of the health and safety inspection . However, many mourners do not regularly attend services at the Chapel and have said they were not given personal notification.
The Herald spoke with a representative of Moriah Chapel, who said: “There is nothing untoward going on; we were worried about health and safety and gave advance warning about the clamps.
“We notified members and families the week before and asked members to share the information. A letter was also sent to the other church that use our burial ground so that they could tell their members in advance.
“We didn’t want the families to be disappointed with the clamps and we didn’t do it off our own backs – we had consent from our members and they realise that health and safety is important.
“We have many old graves in the cemetery, but it’s often the more recent graves that cause problems. Newer graves can be unstable.”
She added: “We followed all the correct procedures and people did know about the clamps. This isn’t something new; we’ve been talking about it for a few months.
“It was all in the interest of public safety – a sudden slip could cause harm to someone or something.”
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