A SON’S visit to his parents grave on Father’s Day turned into a nightmare when he arrived to find a “mountain of soil and clay” dumped in front of their headstone.

On Sunday, John Phelps, 71, of Llanfair Green, Abergavenny, decided to mark the occasion by paying his respects at the grave of his mum and dad in St Woolos Cemetery, Newport.

But when he arrived at the graveside he was shocked to find a pile of clay and mud which had been left just centimetres from the headstone marking their final resting place.

Although wooden boards were placed beneath the pile to protect the grave of Walter and Dorothy Phelps, their son said the “disrespect” had left him furious.

“I just wanted to pay my respects to my dead parents on Father’s Day,” said Mr Phelps.

“There was about a tonne of clay and mud across my parent’s grave and the one next to it. I think it was very disrespectful towards my family.

“The cemetery office isn’t even in use anymore, but there are no signs up or anything about who to contact.

“So I tried to call the council on Monday morning. I wanted to speak to one of the chief executives, but I couldn’t get past the switchboard.

“I’ve been told it’s been put on the highest priority, but I couldn’t speak to anyone.”

Mr Phelps said when he went back to the cemetery on Monday to speak to the superintendent the grave still looked like a “refuse tip”.

“He told me that it was ‘normal practice’,” added Mr Phelps.

“At the end of the day I think they need to respect the families and the graves people are visiting.”

A spokesman from Newport City Council has confirmed a senior officer will be contacting Mr Phelps to discuss the issue.

“The cemetery team recognise that it is upsetting not to be able to access a grave, even if it is only for a temporary time,” added the spokesman.

“Unfortunately it is part of the cemetery management practice for graves to be opened two to three days in advance of a funeral.

“During this process the cemetery staff are always mindful of the adjacent plots and ensure that they lay out boarding and matting to protect adjacent graves and remove fragile objects such as vases, away from the area. These will be returned to their original positions once a grave has been backfilled.

“The staff will also ensure that the area around the plot is cleared of soil and stones and where necessary headstones are cleaned. Where a mound remains, there is a period of time required for the earth to settle however following burial we can remove some material and the team will assess this during this week and remove excess soil material.”