Wingate Grave Blunder Report: Durham Council called to 'overhaul' site

A review into the mix-up at Holy Trinity Church Wingate said the graveyard was ‘overgrown’ and required an ‘immediate course of work’ to bring it back to a manageable state.

In July the Bell family were shocked to discover that someone else had been buried under their dad’s headstone since his death in 2005. The family endured a painful six-week wait to bury their mum Hilda while 11 graves were dug searching for their dad’s resting place.

Read more: Investigation into Wingate grave mix-up finds 'perfect storm' that led to blunder

The distressing discovery prompted a church investigation into how the error occurred.

The report published this weekend by the Diocese of Durham blamed a ‘perfect storm’ of circumstances for the blunder.

The unkempt graveyard at Holy Trinity Church Wingate. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

It also recommended the church work with Durham County Council, which has managed maintenance at the graveyard since it was closed to new burials in 2011, to ‘overhaul’ the site.

The report, authored by Archdeacon Bob Cooper, said: “The reviewer recommends that because of the circumstances a request be made to DCC for an immediate course of work in the graveyard to have an overhaul and be brought back to a manageable state and kept there to facilitate families in identifying graves.”

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Durham County Council has now confirmed it is happy to work alongside the parish on improving the site.

Ian Hoult, Durham County Council’s neighbourhood protection manager, said: “We have not yet been contacted by the Diocese about the report or the recommendations within it. However, we would be happy to work alongside the parish and the Diocese regarding the maintenance of the grounds.”

It comes as Easington MP Grahame Morris welcomed the report for it’s ‘useful’ recommendations to prevent another family going through the same distress.

But the Bell family said they feel they have been left with ‘more questions than answers’ after the publication of the report, saying they don’t feel ‘any further forward’.

The Durham Diocese said it would not be commenting further on the findings of its investigation.

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