Community leaders have told of their anger over flooded graves at a Bristol cemetery. And on more than one occasion, the body of the deceased has fallen out of the coffin after those carrying it slipped and fell.
Farooq Siddique, chair of the Muslim Burial Working Group committee said there are a number of concerns about the Muslim section at Bedminster Down Cemetery on Bridgwater Road. As one of the only council-owned Bristol facilities with a dedicated Muslim burial community, for years the site has been waterlogged with surface rainwater due to its position at the bottom of the hill.
Mr Siddique said the Muslim community has been 'suffering in silence for decades' and has been asking Bristol City Council to come up with a viable solution. He said the winter months are the most problematic and claims visitors to the site often slip and fall. He recalled on two occasions the body of the deceased having fallen out of the coffin while being carried due to the slippery surface. “This is horrifying to even contemplate. It is devastating to witness. For the families, it is traumatising,” he added.
READ MORE: South Bristol cemetery to be expanded amid 'critical' shortage in burial space
Abdul Malik, chair of Easton Jamia Masjid Mosque, said: "The situation is just totally unacceptable, especially at times when it is raining. Too often families burying their loved ones have witnessed them being lowered into a waterlogged grave with pumps working to empty it at the last minute during burial.”
He continued: “Bristol is home to people of many languages and religions and as a basic requirement it’s really important that people who pass away have a dignified burial according to the wishes of their family and religious teachings.” The local businessman said it is the council’s responsibility to 'provide its citizens with a proper, dignified burial space according to their religious and cultural expectations and needs'.
A recent planning application submitted by the city council to expand the cemetery could see the development of drainage infrastructure with the addition of parking and footpaths. Both Mr Siddique and Mr Malik have welcomed that plans and said that it is 'right and responsible' and that additional land space is required for everyone.
A spokesperson from the council said: “It’s important that as our city grows, we respond to future burial needs. Whilst a number of council-owned cemeteries cannot be expanded further, South Bristol Cemetery does have the space to expand to offer new burial plots."
The council said 'plans have been developed to expand into adjacent fields which were identified for burial use as part of the original design of the cemetery back in the 1960s', and if proposals are approved, it would provide 'up to 25 years of ongoing burial provision'.
The authority added: "The application submitted for planning approval includes a robust set of groundwater and ecological assessments and contains plans for new access and parking plus the creation of a new wetland pond habitat; new hedgerows and tree planting."
For the past few years, the Muslim Burial Group has been working with the council, designing and jointly-approving remedial works that will be carried out in two phases to address the failings at the site. Mr Siddique said: “With the funding secured and ring-fenced, last year, a drainage system was finally installed.”
He told Bristol Live that it is currently being assessed for its effectiveness but once approved, phase 2 is expected to begin this year with the hopes that a 'light at the end of the tunnel is in sight'. For now, the group’s focus remains on 'urgently addressing the deep failings at the current site”.
The council confirms that new drainage was installed last year to address the surface water issues at the site and is continuing to work with the Muslim Burial Group to improve that section. The work includes drainage improvement, agreeing on landscaping options for the existing burial areas and the extension of the burial site to provide more plots.
Bishopsworth councillor Richard Eddy, who backs the council's expansion plans, said: “It is essential that the present planning application seeks to cater to the requirements of all our citizens, including Muslim Bristolians. You can’t get away from the simple geographical fact that South Bristol Crem is on a hill leading down to South Liberty Lane, Ashton. But I hope everything feasibly possible is done in the present bid to address the issues of flooding which has afflicted the Muslim burial ground.”
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