Council to undertake headstone & memorial inspection programme

20th November 2019

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Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is undertaking a programme of safety checks of headstones and memorials in its five operational cemeteries at Fintona, Greenhill and Dublin Road, Omagh; Cross and Breandrum, Enniskillen.

The inspection programme will begin at the start of December 2019.

Speaking about the inspection programme, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Siobhán Currie, said:

“Unfortunately there has been cases in cemeteries operated by other local authorities where an unsafe memorial has toppled and fallen on a person causing injury or even death.

Specially trained staff will perform safety checks in a sensitive manner at the Council’s five operational cemeteries over the next number of months to ensure that cemeteries are safe places for the public to visit and for our staff to work in.”

Safety checks will include a visual inspection and a physical hand test to check the stability of a memorial or headstone. If a headstone/memorial is deemed unstable the Council will then contact the proprietor of the right of burial to advise them that remedial works are required to make it permanently safe.  If action is not taken in the specified time-frame, the Council will as a temporary measure, make the memorial safe.

For further information or advice, please contact the Council’s Parks and Open Space service by telephoning 0300 303 1777, email info@fermanaghomagh.com,  text phone 028 8225 6216 or visit www.fermanaghomagh.com.