A COUPLE have called for action after arriving at the cemetery to pay their respects to loved ones at Christmas, only to find this "heartbreaking" sight.
Maureen and Tony Bamford, both 65, found Cleethorpes Cemetery was "like a lake" on Christmas Eve when they went to lay wreaths on the graves of their late grandson and Maureen's mother.
The couple, of Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes, said that there was up to two feet of water and that some graves were totally submerged when they visited with their son, Dennis.
Mr and Mrs Burman have put flowers on the graves at least every two weeks since Ellen Brennan died of cancer in 1992 – and grandson Anthony was buried on the plot next-door in 1994 after he died of sleep apnea a month before his third birthday – but have never seen it this way.
Granite bordering kept the water out of Anthony and Ellen's graves but the family was forced to place bricks on their wreaths so they didn't float away if the level got any higher.
However, Maureen and Tony said a number of people had to wade through water to put flowers down while some left with their wreaths, unable to reach the spot where their loved ones are resting.
Maureen said: "Sometimes when you lose someone close, visiting the grave is the only way you can feel close to them and to not be able to get to it, particularly just before Christmas, was just heartbreaking.
"A lot of people were quite distraught about seeing the place in such a state."
Mr Burman called for North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC), which maintains the area, to do more to keep it in good order.
He said: "We've had heavy rainfall and snow before but this is the first time this has ever happened.
"It doesn't have to be pristine, it just has to be tidy and orderly but you never see anyone looking after the place anymore.
"I think it has flooded because the drains are blocked."
However, the water has now been cleared and NELC insists that the drains are cleaned regularly but weren't effective because underground water levels are high after one of the wettest years on record.
Councillor Peter Wheatley, portfolio holder for regeneration and environment, apologised to mourners but said further action will not be taken as the flooding was due to "extreme rainfall" and was therefore "beyond our control".
He added: "Our grounds maintenance teams used the gully wagon to drain all the channels in Cleethorpes and Grimsby cemeteries last week in order to alleviate the situation.
"With the forecasted dry weather over the coming days we are hopeful that this problem will be resolved."
A spokesman also confirmed that none of the graves were damaged by the flooding.
