A family have been left devastated after they turned up for their mother's funeral to find her grave still being dug out by a digger.
Mourners gathered to say their goodbyes to Joan Stokoe at the site in Grangetown, Sunderland, 15 minutes before it was due to start but were instead forced to sit and wait in their cars.
As Ms Stokoe's daughter Kelly Smith arrived, she was also told the scoop from the digger had fallen into her mother's grave and a second machine used in an attempt to remove the part had broken down.
Family members waited over an hour before being told they could leave the coffin on nearby grass to be placed in the grave after the digger was retrieved, or lay her in the chapel of rest and have the service the next day.
Distraught Kelly said: "I'm absolutely foaming, we are all so upset.
"We decided to leave her to be buried after they sorted the grave because we didn't want to go through it all over again.
"It was really distressing, we couldn't give her a proper send off. I just can’t understand why the grave wasn't ready, it's ridiculous."
Kelly, 46, from Hendon in Sunderland, said her mum, who died last month aged 66, was eventually buried sometime on Monday afternoon but diggers were still seen next to her grave at 6pm.
She added: "The Reverend and undertaker were brilliant but we were disappointed with the Council – it's a disgrace.
"We couldn't say goodbye properly and she didn't get the send off she deserves."
Sunderland City Council has since told the family that they don't need to pay for the burial and they will also be sent a written apology.
Assistant Director of Community Resilience, Sandra Mitchell said: "We very much understand how this was a rare, regrettable and unfortunate incident.
"Staff are upset about what happened and everyone who works at Sunderland Cemetery offers their sympathies and apologies.
"We are working with the family to address their concerns."
