Graveyard 'desecrated' by new fence, villagers say

Villagers say graves have been "desecrated" and human remains unearthed during safety work at an isolated 13th Century church.

St Botolph's Church, in Skidbrooke, Lincolnshire, is a popular haunt of ghost-hunters and has suffered from acts of vandalism and anti-social behaviour since closing in the 1970s.

The Churches Conservation Trust said it had put up a new security fence as part of "essential work" to prevent trespassers and "in the interest of health and safety" after part of the nave collapsed.

But Guy Williams, the chairman of the parish council, said drilling for fence posts had caused "permanent damage to an ancient monument site" and described it as an "abomination".

Villager Ben Warsap visited the graveyard at the weekend.

"In the spoils of the drilling, we found teeth and possible parts of skull," he said.

The discovery made him "very angry" because generations of his family were at rest in the grounds.

"My father's buried here," he added. "It's not something I wanted to come across when I visited."

The Grade I listed medieval church has been in the care of the trust since 1975 after being declared redundant – meaning it is no longer used for worship.

It has been described by the trust as "a lovely marshland church" with the "feel of a great hall" and "several wonderful arcades".

But the trust has also said St Botolph's is "our most vulnerable and vandalised church".

And police have previously investigated vandalism linked to what officers said was a "reputation for paranormal activity".

Mr Williams, who chairs Skidbrooke-cum-Saltfleet Parish Council, argued the new fence was flimsier than a previous barrier and had brought "no benefit whatsoever".

He accused the trust of "running scared of Halloween and health and safety".

Villager Martin Benton said his late father "spent much of his time down here in the 90s trying to protect the site from vandals".

He described the installation of the new fence as another act of vandalism and said the results were "hideous".

The trust said the east wall of the nave collapsed on 13 October.

Helen Mulholland, conservation project manager at the trust, said the fencing was chosen on professional advice because previous barriers had not been "heavy duty enough and trespassers have continued to breach them".

"It was deemed necessary to install something more substantial and fixed to the ground," she added.

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look Northor tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices