Cambridge mum in tears as son's grave left in 'a mess' for the second time

A Cambridge mum whose son’s grave was flooded in a foot of water last Mother’s Day has been left “in tears” once again after the grave was covered in cut grass. Rebecca Kelly spent three hours clearing the grass from Ben’s grave at Huntingdon Road Cemetery last Wednesday (June 5).

On Mother’s Day in March 2023, she discovered the 28-year-old’s grave covered in water, while memorial items were floating in a “mud bath”. The flowers she had brought for the grave dropped out of her hand as she started crying.

Rebecca drained the grave herself, and described the negligence of Cambridge City Council as “disgraceful”.

Read more: Cambridge mum slams 'disgraceful' council after having to drain her son's grave on Mother's Day

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On May 9, 2024, she arrived at Ben’s grave to find the grass overgrown. She went to the office and asked for it to be sorted out, and was assured that it would be.

However, Rebecca said the work had not been carried out when she visited on June 5, leading her to refuse to leave the office until someone cut the grass. The grass was cut however, the spot was strewn with cut grass, and Rebecca had to work with the women from the office to clear it up.

Rebecca said on the day after the incident: “It didn’t really sink in yesterday. I came home last night, having spent three hours sorting it out. This morning, I woke up in tears and I was crying for the first two hours. I just want Ben’s grave looked after.

“After the first complaint, they promised me they would look after it and they have not.”

She described the women from the office who helped her to clear the grave up as “apologetic, professional and caring” and said she had no complaints with their treatment. However, she is angry with the treatment of the person who cut the grass and “left a mess”.

Rebecca has made a formal complaint to Cambridge City Council. A council spokesperson said: “We understand how upset the family are following their visit to Ben’s grave, and we want to ensure that we do all we can to support the family whenever they visit the cemetery.

“As we have received a formal complaint, I’m afraid we are unable to comment any further on this matter until we have had time to formally investigate. We will contact the family directly to discuss their concerns and to keep them updated as our investigation progresses.

“In the meantime, we would encourage anyone who has concerns about the cemetery to do as the family has done and raise these concerns with us.”