Man informed by phone he is no longer allowed to be buried with late wife in Holy Trinity graveyard, Southwell

A man who was informed by phone he will no longer be allowed to be buried with his late wife has poured scorn on the legislation that is being used to prevent it.

Michael Gill paid for a double grave in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, Southwell, two and a half years ago when his wife, Vicky, died.

The Advertiser reported last week that new burials in the churchyard ­— the only remaining site in the town ­— have been halted because of legislation and guidance on burials near watercourses from the Environment Agency.

It left 88-year-old Southwell resident Edith Murden devastated that she could no longer be buried with husband Reginald, despite paying for the plot 20 years ago and paying for her funeral plan.

Mr Gill said: “I was informed by phone at tea time. Not at all professional, considering the gravity of the subject.

“This begs the question on what criteria The Environment Agency has come to this decision? Have they just done a desktop survey?

“The water in the Potwell Dyke is approximately 3.5metres below ground level of the site of my late wife’s grave, and the grave is approximately 26metres from the dyke.

“I have checked the standard depth of double graves and this is no more than two metres deep.

“The Environment Agency should be spending their money on ensuring the the watercourses around Southwell are kept free from debris.

“I have questioned various people who walk the paths around the church and they tell me that it never floods and is always at least two metres below the top of the bank when in full flood.

“I see that a Flood Risk Assessment has been carried out for the new development of bungalows at the rear of Coghill Court, which backs onto Potwell Dyke, and no mention was made to flooding.

“It seems that people just accept what certain government agency’s dictate without question. It seems so arbitrary and uncaring.

“My daughter lives in a village six miles away and told me that last week there was a burial. This is Caunton and butts right on to the beck, which floods.

“Is this being applied across the country, with the very many churches near watercourses, leaving us with a shortage of burial space, or is it one church’s misinterpretation of the guidance?”

The Environment Agency was unable to provide a response before the Advertiser went to press.

Its website says: “The Environment Agency must protect groundwater sources used to supply drinking water from pollution.

“Burials must not cause pollution and therefore should not take place below the water table.

“Therefore, some sites with existing planning permission, such as existing cemeteries, may need some form of intervention to control groundwater levels.

“Large numbers of burials in a short time, or the cumulative effects of many individual burials, may cause, or have the potential to cause, groundwater pollution.

“In general, the shorter the time over which burials occur and the higher the number of burials, the greater the risk of groundwater pollution. In these cases the Environment Agency will, where appropriate, use its powers under EPR to control or prohibit the burials.”

A spokesman for the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham said the new legislation and guidance ended all future burials at the church, with immediate effect, due to the graveyard’s proximity to a watercourse and levels of groundwater in the vicinity.

“This is guidance to ensure that we meet the legal obligation to protect the environment, which we are not able to overturn,” it said.