City cemeteries shut for safety assessments

NOTTINGHAM City Council has shut two graveyards after a four-year-old boy in Lancashire was crushed by a gravestone.

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Northern Cemetery and Church Rock have been closed with immediate effect as officials carry out tests on several gravestones.

The closures come after a boy was fatally injured by a cross that detached from its base, falling on top of him at Rawtenstall Cemetery, Rawtenstall, Lancashire, on July 6. Despite the paramedics' efforts, Eli David died shortly afterwards.

As local authorities have a responsibility to maintain and ensure the safety of graveyard visitors, the city council has decided to assess the safety of its three active cemeteries: Highwood, Wilford Hill and Northern Cemetery.