UP to 10,000 Torfaen gravestones in three cemeteries may be laid flat after council chiefs carried out a safety review.
Up to 90 percent of the 11,268 memorials and headstones in Cwmbran, Blaenavon and Panteg cemeteries have been described as "extremely dangerous".
Similar moves in other parts of Gwent have prompted opposition from relatives. In Monmouthshire, families were angered when gravestones were laid flat in cemeteries near Abergavenny.
Yesterday, Torfaen council's cabinet committee discussed a proposal to lay down all memorials considered to pose a risk, and if it is passed work would begin in Cwmbran next month.
The proposal is part of a nationwide programme to check gravestones after unsafe memorials have been responsible for the deaths of four children and three adults since 1995.
Following a survey of memorials in three Torfaen cemeteries by Tim Morris, of the Institute of Burial and Crematorium Administration, in July this year, it was decided that action should be taken.
Mr Morris' report said: "Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 the authority has a duty of care."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article