The protest group wants Torbay Council to pay for repairs

The council action has been taken because of new health and safety rules to deal with gravestones that could topple over.

Torbay Council has had the gravestones at Torbay Cemetery professionally tested, and put supports on the stones it thinks are at risk.

But relatives in Torquay believe it is unnecessary and disrespectful.

It's the tractors coming up and down. It's subsided all the cemetery Maria Palla

Relatives who do not shore up dangerous gravestones may have them laid flat by cemetery staff.

Now some residents have formed the Torquay Graveyard Protest Group.

It has set up its own website demanding the council pays to repair the stones and looks after the graveyard properly.

Sensitive issue

Maria Palla, who has family buried in the cemetery believes council staff cutting the lawned areas may be partly to blame for the problem.

She said: "It's the tractors coming up and down. It's subsided all the cemetery.

"If the council won't do it, we'll clean it up ourselves.

"We can get lots of people together and show them we can do a better job."

Torbay Council says it understands this is a sensitive issue, but it would be much worse if a child were hurt.

The new health and safety rules came into force after two young people were killed in Liverpool and the Wear Valley by toppling gravestones.

Cllr Colin Charlwood says the council has acted as sensitively as possible by contacting relatives to try to ensure the safety of gravestones.