HEADSTONES on the graves in Great Malvern Cemetery were given the allclear after their annual safety testing.
Each year, the stones are tested by staff from Malvern Town Council to make sure they are safe and will not fall over. The council's operations manager Charles Porter uses a push tester with a force of 36kgs at 90cm above ground level.
He told members of the council's operations committee that there were no failures this year. Last year, one headstone failed the test. When the memorials fail they are either staked or laid down flat to make sure they are safe.
Over the past three years the council has used stonemasons to reinstate failed headstones while operations staff have been reinstating memorials in the Victorian part of the cemetery.
Town clerk Richard Chap-man said although the headstones are the responsibility of the grave owners, the council was often unable to identify the owners. As the cemetery is open to the public, the council has a duty of care to test the memorials and make sure they are safe.
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