Horror as council 'loses' bodies of twins who died at birth after they were buried in the wrong graves

A metropolis assembly has apologised for burying radical successful the incorrect graves successful its cemetery amid claims it has lost the burial tract of 2 babe twins.

The blunder was exposed during a nationalist gathering wherever it was said determination had been astatine slightest 2 mix-ups successful the cemetery successful Coney Hill, Gloucester. 

Councillor Alastair Chambers said the lawsuit of the allegedly mislaid twins happened astir 10 years agone and emerged aft helium raised the contented astatine a assembly gathering past week. 

A man, who did not privation to beryllium named, told him that his twins lone lived for astir a time aft they were born.

He bought a sedate for them successful the cemetery but was aboriginal told the assembly could not accidental wherever they were buried and helium inactive does not cognize now. 

The councillor added that a woman, who besides did not privation to beryllium named, precocious discovered that a sedate she had bought 8 years agone for herself, truthful she could beryllium buried adjacent to her precocious parents, had been filled with different woman's body. 

The mistake was seemingly due to the fact that that idiosyncratic had the aforesaid distinctive archetypal sanction arsenic her but not the aforesaid surname, helium said.

Gloucester City Council declined to remark connected those 2 cases but apologised to the household and friends of 2 radical who it said were buried successful the incorrect locations astatine the cemetery.

It followed its lawman person saying astatine the assembly gathering that helium had not been alert of the matter.

Councillor Declan Wilson added: 'It sounds similar thing retired of a fearfulness movie. 

'Certainly thing similar this needs to beryllium addressed beauteous overmuch immediately.'

Council bosses said they had followed each procedures to determination the graves to the close spots and had been moving sensitively with the families involved.

It is not known erstwhile the mix-up happened but it is thought that the 2 burials happened successful incorrect locations for unrelated reasons. 

The assembly said that astatine nary constituent were families of the deceased contiguous astatine the incorrect burial.

Cllr Chambers said: 'I americium some shocked and profoundly saddened to larn that the metropolis assembly has been burying bodies successful the incorrect graves.

'It's hard to judge that specified a devastating mistake could adjacent happen.'

He said helium suspected that the errors had been owed to the incompetence of unit astatine the cemetery. 

The councillor claimed dormant people's names were inactive being entered successful a ledger that dated backmost to Victorian times alternatively than being listed connected a computer.

He added that radical told him they came to him astir the substance due to the fact that of his erstwhile probe into the metropolis council-run cemetery. 

That was successful November 2023 and acrophobic groundskeepers driving mini diggers and different dense machinery implicit immoderate graves, damaging headstones.

As good arsenic lasting up for radical past twelvemonth erstwhile the assembly began removing decorative borders placed astir the graves of their loved ones.

Of the latest contented astatine the site, helium said: 'It's beauteous horrific. Tragic. It's unimaginable for the grieving relatives.'

A spokesperson for Gloucester City Council said: 'During members' questions astatine the assembly gathering connected 27 March 2025, it was requested that an probe beryllium carried retired into incorrect burials astatine the cemetery.

'The assembly is alert of 2 graves successful caller years that person been placed successful the incorrect determination wrong the cemetery grounds. 

'We person followed each processes and procedures to determination those graves to the close locations successful the cemetery and person been moving sensitively with the families progressive to resoluteness these.

'We apologise to the household and friends of the bereaved and we would similar to reassure the nationalist that we person worked with and supported the families passim this process.

'Our thoughts and feelings stay with the household and friends of the deceased.'

It declined to remark connected whether an aged fashioned ledger strategy was being utilized astatine the cemetery and whether this mightiness person contributed to the mistakes that were made.