A FLINT woman has been left feeling disgusted after council workers placed a skip on top of her dad’s grave – destroying gifts and flowers left for Father’s Day.

Paula Roberts, 44, from Flint, made the shocking resting place discovery when she went to visit the cemetery in Old London Road in Flint on Wednesday, June 19.

The mum-of-one said: “It is just so disrespectful to his memory and these workers have shown no compassion for our family who visit him – especially when there were plenty of other places that the skip could have gone.

The Leader:

Flint family are ‘disgusted’ that council works placed skip on gravestone. Pictures: Paula Roberts

“My little nephew brings lots of handmade items to put on the grave and it was so upsetting to visit not long after Father’s Day to find this skip had been put on top of my dad.

“The workers had pretty much destroyed what we had brought to remember him on a special day for all father’s and cast them aside like they had no meaning at all.”

Paula, who owns a salon on Mold High Street, also claimed items placed on the grave for Father’s Day on June 16 had been either dumped to one side of the grave or damaged in the process of putting the skip in place.

The distressed family shared images of the skip on social media, provoking a number of comments from shocked users.

The Leader:

One said: “This is totally unbelievable and shows no respect for those who are no longer with us. Such a sad thing to deal with.”

Another asked: “How can people be so heartless? Surely there would have been somewhere else to put this instead of on somebody’s grave?”

Flintshire County Council has apologised for the upset and distress that this incident has caused for the family concerned and will be in contact in respect of the damaged property

Steve Jones, Fliintshire Council’s chief officer of Streetscene and transportation, said: "The item referred to as a skip was in fact a soil box which is used to temporarily store the material excavated during the preparation of new graves, when they are in close proximity to other existing graves.

The Leader:

“They are constructed on legs that keep the bottom of the box, at least 300mm above the surface, in order that no damage is caused to the grave underneath and are used only when there is no room available to store the excavated material.

“In this case, there was sufficient space to store the excavated material away from existing graves and the box should not have been used. Lessons will be learnt from the case and adopted to avoid a repeat occurrence."