South Ayrshire Council Incurs £3.4m for Flooded Grave Repairs

South Ayrshire Council has incurred costs approaching £3.4 million for the remediation of over 200 grave sites affected by flooding, according to information obtained by BBC Scotland News. This total expenditure encompassed the exhumation and subsequent reinterment of 177 bodies across Ayr and Troon cemeteries. Problems with drainage were initially discovered at Ayr Cemetery in 2022, at which point the council informed families that 126 burial plots were waterlogged because of these drainage deficiencies. Subsequently, flooding was also found in 87 burial plots at Troon Cemetery, though only 51 of these were occupied. This situation necessitated two years of comprehensive restoration efforts at both cemetery locations. During the repair period within the cemeteries, the bodies required exhumation and drying. All individuals who had been interred within the preceding decade have now been reburied in their initial grave sites. South Ayrshire Council has verified the completion of all necessary remedial work. The BBC has reviewed an itemized account of the total expenses incurred by the local authority, detailing costs for repairs, new coffins, counselling services for affected relatives, and funeral director services. The council also states it covered “specific requests” made by family members of the reinterred, such as a piper and floral arrangements for the graveside. Expenditure for rectifying plots and assisting families at Ayr Cemetery amounted to £2.6 million. The final cost for Troon Cemetery was slightly less than £750,000. In a formal statement provided to BBC Scotland News, South Ayrshire Council declared: “At the outset, we made a commitment to the affected families that we would do everything possible to resolve any issues with the burial chambers at Ayr and Troon cemeteries.” The statement continued: “We also said to families that we would support them in any way that we could. By working with a number of specialists we have now concluded the works at Ayr and Troon cemeteries. “We are still in contact with a number of families, and this will continue.” The chief executive of South Ayrshire Council had previously informed BBC Scotland News that the preferences of the families regarding the reburial of their deceased relatives constituted his “number one priority”. Earlier, certain family members expressed having “no trust” in South Ayrshire Council’s management of the circumstances and voiced complaints about difficulties in obtaining responses from the local authority. In late 2022, when restoration work commenced at Ayr Cemetery, 20 families initially withheld permission for the council to exhume their loved ones, as a form of protest. Ultimately, all affected families consented, but this led to delays in the plot repair work. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.