A grieving family in Northern Ireland have been left "heartbroken" over the circumstances surrounding their father's burial.
David Silvey, from the Shankill Road area, passed away at the age of 67 following a battle with stomach cancer and was buried at Belfast's Roselawn Cemetery on June 28.
However, they were shocked at the "disrespectful" way his burial was conducted. They claimed cemetery workers began filling in the grave as soon as he was lowered into the ground, meaning David's wife didn't get to pay her final respects, Belfast Live reports.
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His family - which includes his wife Elizabeth (Lilly), four children Elizabeth, David, Gareth and Nicola and 11 grandchildren - had wanted to bury him in the family plot at Carnmoney.
However, due to a lack of space they had to opt for a new grave at Roselawn instead. But the family say the manner of his burial there was deeply upsetting.
Mr Silvey's youngest daughter Nicola Fleming, 40, said: "My father was only diagnosed with cancer last Christmas and he passed away at home on June 18.
"He didn't want to be buried at Roselawn but Carnmoney had no more graves available so we had no choice. The grave that was dug for him was so wide that you could have fitted at least another coffin in beside him.
"After my father had been lowered into the ground we hadn't even turned on our heels to walk away, never mind get into the funeral car and the guys had started to fill the grave in.
"We've since been told that this was due to the danger of subsidence but it was so disrespectful. My mum was devastated that she didn't get the chance to even pay her final respects at the graveside.
"Even the undertakers were stunned that they started filling the grave in before we'd even left."
And to add insult to injury, the family returned to the grave three days after the burial and found their carefully placed flowers and wreaths "smashed and thrown" on the ground.
Nicola added: "Three days later we returned to the grave and found the flowers we had spent a lot of money on were all broken and dismantled.
"Two of these flowers alone cost over £240 and the hours of work that went into these by the florist to be delivered the day of the funeral and wrecked a few days later.
"I was up again on Sunday and found that the flowers had just been thrown down on the ground and the wreaths smashed and thrown on top of each other. My mum is heartbroken to say the least
"My father owned a Honda goldwing trike and we had his coffin decorated with that because it was his pride and joy. The grandchildren had a Honda goldwing wreath made up too which was dismantled too.
"I have had to take it away and try to have it reassembled with artificial flowers for when the headstone goes up.
"As a family we're absolutely heartbroken about all of this and it's disgraceful the way my father's grave was dealt with."
Belfast City Council has since apologised to the family over the circumstances of their father's burial.
In an email seen by Belfast Live, a council spokesperson said: "Can I firstly apologise for the way in which staff conducted themselves at the end of your committal and for the way in which you found the flowers a few days later.
"I have spoken to the site supervisor and requested an explanation as to why staff started to back fill the grave before you had left. The ground around the grave was in danger of subsiding so staff started to fill in to avoid this happening.
"On a later inspection the staff found that the grave had sunk and the flowers had fallen into the grave. Staff retrieved the flowers but unfortunately some had been covered in earth and had been damaged.
"The plot should now have been topped up, levelled and left in a respectful order."
In an additional statement, a council spokesperson said: "We are aware of the damage caused to a grave at Roselawn Cemetery and we understand this is a difficult and sensitive issue.
"We are assessing the situation and officers from our Bereavement Services team will engage with the family directly."
