A green space in Frome has been damaged by trainee gravediggers digging in the wrong place following a “communication error”.
Easthill Field lies at the eastern edge of Frome north of the A362 Warminster Road, near the Easthill Cemetery and the railway line leading to Bristol.
The site’s future has been a bone of contention, with Mendip District Council voting to “pause” a possible development of 77 affordable homes there following a backlash from local campaigners.
Photographs have now emerged of part of the Easthill site being “vandalised” during a gravedigging training session, raising concerns among locals that the council was about to renege on this promise.
The council has claimed its contractors “misunderstood” instructions to carry out training in the neighbouring cemetery and said it had taken steps to repair the damage.
Nicola Player, a member of the Friends of Easthill Field, posted images of the damage caused to the site on the group’s official Facebook page on Thursday (January 28).
She subsequently expressed her displeasure in a letter to the council, arguing that the damage raised serious doubts as to whether the authority would keep its word over the Easthill development.
She said, “This morning [January 28], a few people in hi-viz jackets were seen in the field. When questioned, they said that they were trainee gravediggers.
“Later this afternoon, it was noticed that a small digger was in the field. Asked again, the men in hi-viz jackets said that they had been told that this was a ‘free field’ and so it was okay for the training to take place.
“The area that has been used is not in the corner of the field, but in open space. “The council will have known that, because the area has been mown.”
Ms Player visited the site again in the afternoon, finding that holes which had been dug in the morning had been filled in, with “redundant earth” piled up to the side. She said the ground had been damaged by “muddy rut marks”, with evidence of three graves having been dug.
She added, “Who said that this is ‘free land’ and sanctioned the use of the field for this training?
“Is the council aware of the damage to carbon retention that these acts will have effected? We are outraged by what has been allowed (or encouraged, in fact) to happen. This adversely affects the level of trust we have in the council.”
The Friends of Easthill Field have been pushing for the council to stop any planned development at the site, culminating in the cabinet voting in late-November 2020 to “pause” those plans while moving forward with other sites across the district.
Council leader Ros Wyke promised in January that any future decision about the Easthill site would be taken at a public meeting.
The council said it had booked a gravedigging training session in Frome on January 28th for its employees as part of its legal duties to local residents.
A spokesperson said, “Bereavement is a statutory service. When we received word from our specialist training company they had a cancellation, we took them up on the offer of a slot.
“There are significant health and safety requirements associated with grave digging, and extra training was essential.
“Previous training sessions have been completed at a number of council-owned cemeteries across the district. But burial services were unfortunately taking place in Mendip cemeteries. It was clearly inappropriate to conduct training at a location where a grieving family would be saying their goodbyes to a loved one. Given the short notice, Easthill Cemetery was our only available location.”
The council said it had informed the contractor to carry out the training within the Easthill Cemetery – but that this was “misunderstood,” leading to part of Easthill Field being dug up.
The spokesperson continued, “Instruction was provided by our bereavement team to the contractor, to conduct the session on a section of land within the boundaries of Easthill Cemetery. However, this instruction was misunderstood, and they undertook the first stage of the training on land to the north of Easthill – a site which has been subject to robust discussions in recent weeks.
“Having reviewed the situation and discussed the matter with all parties involved, we are satisfied this was simply a communication error with no malintent, albeit with significant consequences.
“As soon as we were made aware of the miscommunication, we worked quickly to make safe the space, remove the team, and ensured the second day’s training was completed at a different location within the cemetery boundary.
“The space has since been secured and communications have been issued to those who contacted us about the matter.”
