A dad's body could be dug up from his grave after a cemetery blunder means he cannot be buried next to his family.
Mark Hendren was laid to rest at Monkton and Prestwick New Cemetery last month with his family purchasing three adjoining burial plots so they could all eventually be together.
But a plot next to Mark, 49, has recently been occupied leaving his family upset and facing the prospect at having to have him reburied.
South Ayrshire Council insist Mark is in the right grave and is now offering the stunned family nearby positions.
One mourner told the Daily Record: “Nobody can believe how this happened, it is very upsetting.
“It is fundamental that people go in the right place and the family are dumbfounded at such a sad time.”
Special court permission would be required to remove Mark and rebury him, the only way now the family can be together.
But the family would have to endure a mountain of red tape if that was their wish.
Mark, from Prestwick, was an amputee who only had one leg.
His funeral was on July 29 and family flowers still adorn the grave, including a bouquet from Mark’s son Kieran, 21.
He could not be contacted this week.
Sources say the council has been in contact with the family to try and find a solution.
One said: “They are claiming Mark was not put in the wrong grave, but we don’t understand why we can no longer get three graves in a row.
“That was very important to the family.
“There only seems to be one other body in the same row. The rest of the graves are unmarked and we don’t know how many have been sold for future use.
“It is a nightmare for all concerned.”
Council bosses have apologised to the grieving family.
A council spokesman said: “We are aware of an error where a family requested to purchase multiple lairs and were only allocated a single lair.
“We apologise for this error and are currently in discussion through the family’s funeral director who is arranging a meeting between all parties to find a satisfactory solution.
“We have investigated and updated our processes as a consequence of this incident to mitigate against this type of error occurring in the future.”
