Full compensation for families over flooded graves in Ayr

The new leader of South Ayrshire Council has promised to fully compensate 126 families whose relatives' graves are flooded at Ayr Cemetery.

A number of coffins are fully submerged in rainwater.

Families have been battling the council over plans to exhume the bodies in order to carry out drainage work.

But Martin Dowey told BBC Scotland's The Nine he would make the families' wishes his number one priority.

The council has asked the relatives for permission for the bodies to be exhumed.

The bodies would then be stored at a facility at Prestwick Airport while the graves are drained. They would then be placed in new coffins and reburied in their original plots.

However, some families are upset that the new coffins would be chosen by the council.

A number of relatives have refused to give permission for exhumation and asked for full compensation for coffins of their choice. They also want reburial ceremonies to take place for those that wish to hold them.

Natalie Campbell, who buried her father Norrie Kennedy in 2018, said: "It's been really terrible. We've tried to shield my kids from it but my son said to me the other night 'does that mean my papa is drowning?'. It's hard to explain to children.

"We were meticulous with all the details of my dad's funeral. We were lucky enough that we were able to discuss it with my dad before he passed, so we knew what kind of coffin, what kind of music, the service, everything.

"It was done just perfectly. Now, we're going to have to do it all again."

Danielle Kennedy, whose Uncle Jamie's funeral was in 2020, said: "We want them in a coffin of our choice, not told that they're going to be put a standard box.

"We would like to be compensated for a burial so we can say our final goodbyes and know that they are resting in peace, because right now they're not resting in peace because they are lying in a chamber of full of water."

Council leader Mr Dowey confirmed that the local authority would work with the families to meet their requests.

"I appreciate that the families are extremely upset," he said. "I know people who are buried there and families who are affected by this personally, friends of mine.

"This is an issue that everybody in South Ayrshire knows about and are not happy about. I'm certainly not happy about it. We need to put the families to the heart of this.

"We will provide any coffin that they want, any requests that they want.

"I can't speak for what happened before but, going forward, that will happen. And they've got my guarantee for that."

Investigations have also now begun into possible water-logging at 39 graves in Troon Cemetery.

South Ayrshire Council has written to all the relevant families but has admitted it does not know the extent of the water damage yet.

Any future drainage work would take place after the work at Ayr Cemetery.