'It's a disgrace' - Miles for Men charity founder slams state of Hartlepool's Stranton Cemetery as graves flooded

Stranton Cemetery and Crematorium in Tanfield Road has had problems with flooding for a number of years, with heavy rain leaving graves and pathways waterlogged.

In June 2020, Hartlepool Borough Council approved a £600,000 in funding for a scheme that would combat flooding at the cemetery.

But with work yet to be completed, families with loved ones laid to rest at the cemetery are still being left devastated at seeing the graves submerged in water.

Micky Day, the founder of Hartlepool charity Miles for Men, was saddened to see the latest bout of flooding when visited the cemetery early on Friday morning.

He said: “I've been on about how the cemetery needs a lot of work done for years now.

“People's places of rest are flooded and gifts left on graves are floating [because of the flooding].

“It's not fair on the families who are visiting their loved ones where their graves are a disgrace.

“I think everyone who has loved one in there feels the same, that it’s just not right.”

Hartlepool Borough Council says surveys found that a naturally occurring layer of clay up to 10 metres (approximately 30ft) thick prevents water draining away.

Work on the cemetery flood alleviation scheme began in July, which saw the council drill hundreds of vertical bore holes in the flood-prone areas to allow water to pass through the clay and drain naturally away.

Next spring when the ground is firmer, small gravel-topped drainage trenches linking the tops of the bore holes will be added to further improve the drainage.

The council says neither the bore holes nor the trenches will encroach onto the graves themselves.

But Mr Day says in the meantime families are still having to pay high costs for a grave plot which will end up flooded, causing further distress to families.

He added: “It's upsetting for us to visit graves and have it like a swamp. It is around £1,000 for a plot now.

"They [the council] are quick to take the hard earned money of the families but years have passed and this work should have been completed a long time ago.”

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