Families are reminded that they need to contact a stonemason who has been approved by the Council to complete repairs on memorials which have a safety notice, or have been braced with wooden supports.
The Council has a duty of care to all workers and visitors visiting their burial grounds, and following inspections last year, any memorial which failed had a green safety notice placed next to it. If they were judged to be dangerous, they were also braced with wooden supports.
Families, or those who are responsible for lairs, must make sure that memorials are maintained in a safe condition, so if you see a green safety notice next to your memorial, you should contact a stonemason who has been approved by the Council to complete repairs – you can find details of those online on our Burial Services page
You’ll also need to complete a Memorial Permit Application form. You can contact Burial Services on 01595 744853 or 744898, or email burials@shetland.gov.uk to find out more.
There is a list of Burial Servies FAQs which can help.
Robbie McGregor is Vice Chair of the SIC’s Environment and Transport Committee: “The Council is responsible for 70 burial grounds across the isles, and it’s really important that they are safe to visit. Any repair work has to be carried out to a safe industry standard, so it must be completed by an approved stonemason.
“Finally, I’d like to reassure anyone who may find it difficult to fund any repairs that the Burial Service will do what they can to help – just get in touch.”