Paisley Hawkhead Cemetery campaigners give evidence at Holyrood

Des Barr has spoken to the Scottish Parliament about concerns at Hawkhead Cemetery.

It comes after council staff were ordered to topple headstones for health and safety reasons, without informing the families of those buried there.

Des believes families of those buried in Hawkhead Cemetery should have been told of headstones subject of a safety review and given the chance to organise any repairs needed.

He called for the suspension of the scheme “until such times as this Committee or the Parliament has had a chance to review the guidance because I don’t think anybody ever really realised what was going to happen and the distress it would cause".

Des Barr has been campaigning for improvements at the Paisley cemetery (Image: Sourced)

We previously reported how Des formed a Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery group last year as his mum, dad and other family members are buried there.

Now he has spoken at Holyrood at the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee.

The meeting heard evidence about how local authorities throughout Scotland were interpreting government guidance on health and safety in graveyards.

Des Barr spoke at Holyrood (Image: Sourced)

He said: “Our biggest concern is about the anxiety, the anguish and the distress.

“There are so many adjectives that people have used to describe that to me.

“It is most distressing for people to turn up to visit a grave and see the headstone lying flat.

“There are quite a number of people who just can't believe this has happened to their family members, and they've not had any communication from the council directly.”

We previously reported how Des had petitioned to urge the Scottish Government to monitor and regulate actions taken by local authorities when undertaking their statutory duty of ensuring health and safety in cemeteries.

After the committee meeting, Des Barr said: “I was very impressed by Councillor Andrew Stuart Wood and how he has campaigned on this issue and also our West of Scotland Regional MSP Paul O’Kane who also attended the committee and spoke in support of our campaign.

“The members of the committee seemed very receptive to our arguments and our view that things need to be done differently.

"Once the committee members finish taking evidence on the issue, I hope they will support what we are trying to achieve for people who have family and friends buried in council-run cemeteries.”

We previously reported how planned upgrades at a Renfrewshire cemetery have been welcomed which will see various work being carried out including investment in the roads and drainage infrastructure to railings being painted.

The Friends of Hawkhead Cemetery group warned tidying the site’s paths is an “absolute must.”