A FAMILY has been left heartbroken after a father's final resting place was left in a state of disrepair after a cemetery was flooded. 

The cemetery in Burrs Road, Clacton, has been flooded for several months resulting in several graves being waterlogged and families struggling to visit.

Machaela Veitch, of Clacton, has been having trouble visiting her father’s grave following his death in 2021 from covid.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette: Devastating - The cemetery has been flooded for months nowDevastating - The cemetery has been flooded for months now (Image: Submitted)

She said: “The cemetery is like a swimming pool because there is no proper drainage and we can’t even put flowers on my dad’s grave.

“We can’t have his headstone put on his grave because of the water, we’ve got photos showing the damage and it seems like all the council is doing is filling it up with more dirt and putting bark everywhere.

“We have had to cancel his headstone placement because the other headstones next to his grave are having issues and always need to be corrected.”

Clacton and Frinton Gazette: Poorly - Headstones have been removed because of the cemetery's statePoorly - Headstones have been removed because of the cemetery's state (Image: Submitted)

Macheala is particularly upset as her father died during the pandemic meaning she could not see him in hospital in his final days.

Metal grids have been put down at the cemetery to provide a path for residents to reach the graves which are heavily waterlogged.

Machaela’s mother Pauline Hamilton arranged for her burial next to her husband but would now like to have his grave removed from the site.

Damian Williams, corporate director for operations and delivery at Tendring District Council, apologised to the families affected by the flooding.

He said: “We completely understand the upset that this can cause, and are sorry for the impact it has had on those families. 

“The issue has been caused due to natural factors outside of our control; a particularly hot summer and relatively dry winter impacting the clay-based soil, followed by a wet spring.

“To address the issue we will carry out some remedial works, including adding in more soil, to assist with natural drainage.

“Our team will also monitor the area to ensure this is not a long-term issue; and if so, we will investigate other potential solutions.”