A grieving son jumped into his mum's grave after coffin dropped in head first.
Darren Clarke's mum Doris Lonsdale died and her funeral was held at a service which he attended.
Distraught at the loss of his beloved mum, he couldn't watch as her coffin was lowered to the ground.
There were gasps from mourners and he finally looked up and saw her casket had slid into the grave.
Darren then jumped into the burial trench in an effort to put things right.
Murray's, the funeral directors, apologised for the upset and has paid compensation to the family.
But he has suffered flashbacks since the traumatic incident and has since been unable to return to her grave.
He told Staffordshire Live : "They were carrying her coffin to the grave at waist height.
"I couldn't watch so I faced the tree about three metres away. Then I heard a gasp. I turned round to see and my sister say they'd dropped my mum.
"I ran over and jumped in the grave. I lifted it right and got her back out.
"I am just grateful it didn't open."
Mrs Lonsdale, who was 75, was buried on December 21. The service took place at Elim Pentecostal Church before the interment at Stapenhill Cemetery.
Bosses from Murray's Funeral Directors, which has branches in Burton said one end of the coffin accidentally fell in the grave.
They have since apologised and offered compensation to the family.
But Mr Clarke said he was still suffering as a consequence of the incident.
He said: "I haven't been back to the cemetery.
"I wake up sweating. We haven't been able to grieve. It is horrible.
"I keep replaying it. I feel like I let my mum down. It was undignified for my mum. This was on my watch."
The family later complained to the firm and in a letter sent to them on behalf of Murray's solicitor,.
Murray's said it had accepted the incident had occurred and an in-person meeting and apology had taken place.
Mr Clarke added: "It is not about money
"I was off work and on sleeping tablets.
"What will they do to make sure this doesn't happen again to someone else?"
David and Sue Barke, of Murray's, said: "Murray’s Funeral Directors acknowledges that there was an accident in December while a coffin was being lowered into a grave, when one end of the coffin fell in.
"The situation was resolved promptly, and the burial continued in a dignified manner."
