A West Yorkshire campaigner fears that the graves of the war dead may be disturbed as part of a plan to save space in cemeteries.
The proposals, made by the Law Commission, could see existing graves across England and Wales reused - while closed burial grounds could also be reopened as part of the national plans.
In response, a petition has been launched by Christine Leeman, a community champion in Dewsbury, against the potential reusing of old graves and closed cemeteries.
Leeman is a trustee of the New Friends of Dewsbury Cemetery group and has family members buried there, including her daughter who passed away in 2011.
A West Yorkshire campaigner fears that the graves of the war dead may be disturbed as part of a plan to save space in cemeteries
GB News
She told GB News: "I would be absolutely appalled at the thought that any grave that's 75-years-old over, and if this law gets passed, then they can dig that person up.
"I wouldn't want to think that in 50 years time, my daughter was going to get dug up and somebody else popped in it. There's 124 war heroes in the cemetery. They're all scattered about. Off they went, fighting for the country.
"How dare the Law Commission, how dare they even think about digging these soldiers up? This has got to be stopped. It's not fair, it's disrespectful."
Concerned resident Paul Halloran supports Christine's petition against the reuse of closed graves.
He stood in the Batley and Spen election as an Independent in 2019 and told GB News: "It's abhorrent, you know, in the respect that, you know, these are people's family members. There's war graves in here. I mean, just in the term alone, just using the term dig up is horrendous."
Kirklees Council maintains Dewsbury Cemetery and in a statement, Councillor Carole Pattison - Leader of Kirklees Council and Cabinet Member for Culture - said: "The council is aware of the current consultation being run by the Law Commission around burial and cremation. There are no proposals for reuse of burial ground in Kirklees."
The Law Commission – an independent body that reviews the law in England and Wales – said the situation is worse in some urban areas with grave reuse proposed as a “solution”, with “sufficient safeguards” in place.
The Law Commission describes the existing burial laws as “complex and outdated”, dating back to the mid-19th Century, with the reuse of graves already permitted at Church of England churchyards and London local authority cemeteries.
Along with increasing capacity, a supporting document said a reform would save cash that would otherwise be spent on getting more burial land ready, and leave more land available for other purposes like housebuilding.
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The organisation is now analysing responses to the proposals following a public consultation. The Law Commission said in a statement: "Grave reuse is already permitted by law, but only in London local authority cemeteries, Church of England churchyards and a handful of burial grounds which have obtained Acts of Parliament for the purpose.
"The Law Commission is consulting on provisional proposals which could enable other burial ground operators to obtain grave re-use powers if they complied with two levels of safeguards."
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two world wars so that they, and the human cost of war, are remembered forever.
In a statement, the charity said: "The CWGC commemorates 1.7 million casualties from the First and Second World War all around the world, in more than 150 countries and territories.
"In the UK alone, there are Commonwealth war graves at around 12,500 locations. The CWGC’s mission, in accordance with our Royal Charter, is to commemorate those Commonwealth service personnel in perpetuity - this includes protection of war graves and war memorials.
"We can confirm we've provided our response to this consultation, which we understand will be published as part of the Law Commission's final report towards the end of the year.
"We are fully engaged with the Law Commission and appreciate their engagement with us during the pre-consultation and consultation process. We look forward to continuing our work on this over the coming months, as we work to ensure perpetual remembrance of those we commemorate."
A final report with the Law Commission recommendations will be made to the government later this year.
Until then, Christine and Paul said they will keep campaigning. To sign Christine’s petition, click here.
In the petition, Christine writes: “This issue is personal to me. I have many family members who rest in Dewsbury Cemetery. Some have been there for over 90 years.
“I, and many others, find it utterly disgraceful to think that our loved ones might be exhumed and their remains disturbed for someone else’s burial.
“Graveyards and cemeteries aren’t mere plots of land; they are sacred spaces that bear witness to the lives of those that have passed. They shouldn’t be reutilised out of convenience.
“We need to respect the final resting place of those departed and explore alternative methods for dealing with the lack of burial land.
“We must not let the remains of our loved ones be disrespected. Their resting place is exactly that — their final place of rest. It must remain undisturbed.”
Pleading people to sign the petition, she adds: “I humbly request you to join me in this appeal so that together, we can stop this disturbing practice and urge the authorities to explore respectful alternatives to deal with the issue of lack of burial land.”
The consultation on the Law Commission’s proposals is now closed and can be foundhere.
