Bereaved families urged to avoid banned plastic headstones sold online | UK | News
Grieving families buy cheap plastic resin headstones, memorials, grave edgings and surrounds without realizing that they are banned from cemeteries.
A number of retailers are offering them on Facebook and other sites and they are becoming increasingly popular as a more affordable alternative to traditional stone.
But because they don’t meet safety regulations and are not weatherproof, distressed mourners will waste their money and risk being asked to remove them, causing even more chaos.
Each funeral authority in Britain sets its own rules about what is allowed.
Almost all allow only memorials made from naturally quarried stone and specifically exclude artificial stone, ceramic, plastic or any other material deemed inappropriate.
They must also be installed by a registered monumental mason and comply with British Standards.
Brent Stevenson, of the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons, said that “unfortunately” an increasing number of people are buying and installing them.
“People don’t realize they’re not licensed,” he said. “The companies that sell them should make it clear to the public that all memorials need to get permission to be erected in a cemetery.”
“What happens is they just don’t do it and they get put on leave for a weekend.”
But plastic memorials deteriorate quickly and become brittle and can break if hit by a lawnmower.
Mr Stevenson added: “When they break off they become very sharp pieces, which is a health and safety issue, not only for the people who are shearing but also for the public because the pieces go everywhere.
“It puts the funeral authority in a very difficult position because it’s usually a mourner who has bought that body and doesn’t want to go and collect it.”
But he added: “It’s a false economy because you only want something that will stand the test of time, otherwise you’re
not being respectful to the person you are trying to commemorate.
“If it only lasts a year or two, it upsets families because they feel like they’re being disrespected a bit because it’s become a bit run down.
“Would you buy it knowing you would have problems in a few years?”
Instead, he urged families to contact local funeral authorities and masons to find out what materials and designs are permitted.
A Church of England spokesperson said: “The design of memorials is monitored to ensure churches and cemeteries remain special places for everyone to enjoy.
“Regulations generally specify the type of material that can be used and none of them consider plastic.”
