A WIDOW has spoken of her distress at being met with a wall of mud in front of a loved one’s grave.

Louise Smith, 51, from Buttershaw, visited North Bierley Cemetery on Thursday evening to tend to the grave of her late husband Simon when she was met with the mess, which she was “devastated” at.

She says damage to ornamental decoration was caused, but the Council has disputed this.

A spokesperson said: “We have every sympathy with anyone who is upset by cemetery excavations, but staff often have no alternative but to temporarily store the soil from an excavated grave on an adjacent plot. We do make people who buy plots aware of this situation.”

They said the soil was “carefully kept away from the adjacent gravestone and that it was not blocked off and no damage was caused”.

Once the grave had been filled in, the area was restored to its original condition, they said, and added: “Every effort is made to carry out the work sensitively and our staff will always try to treat people with respect and sympathy.”