A family was asked to pay more than £1,400 for the right to repair a headstone after council officers said the 50-year-old grave had never been purchased.

Tina Grant says Canterbury Cemetery is a place of refuge where she can feel close to her mother and grandfather, who rest there together in a double plot.

Their joint headstone has been in a state of disrepair for decades - so Mrs Grant’s daughter, Amy Pratley, offered to have the memorial mended as a gesture of kindness.

But after asking Canterbury City Council (CCC) for permission to do so, they were told the cemetery team had no record of the Grants ever buying the plot.

The local authority said before any repairs could go ahead, the family would have to pay £1,196 for 50 years of exclusive rights of burial in the plot and another £207 for a permit.

Mrs Grant’s initial reaction was that the council was being insensitive and “trying to make money out of the dead”.

The Herne Bay grandmother-of-four had been convinced her family did buy the plot - but the council holds no record of the purchase.

“All we’re trying to do is get the gravestone mended to look more presentable,” she said.

“We feel like the council is trying to make money out of the dead and are being totally unreasonable.”

Mrs Grant fears many other families could find themselves in a similar situation.

The bill presented by the council pushed the total cost of the project far beyond what Ms Pratley had saved up.

The 31-year-old said: “On top of the cost of the repair, it totalled £1,983 - which is a ridiculous amount to have to spend, especially at Christmas time.”

Writing to the city council’s cemeteries team, she urged officers to reconsider: “Can an exception not be made seeing as the gravestone has been in place since 1972?

“It makes no sense that a broken headstone can stay in place and not be repaired.”

After weeks of probing by KentOnline, the city council explained more about the background to the case and said its policy is an industry standard.

A spokesperson said: "The first and most important thing to stress is that there has been no wrongdoing by either the council historically, or as was suggested to us, by their relatives many years ago.”

They explained the 1972 burial of Mrs Grant’s grandfather had been in an “unpurchased grave, also known as a common or public grave”.

"In 1980, a second burial was permitted for [Mrs Grant’s mother]. Typically, a grave must be purchased to apply for a burial in a specific grave,” the spokesperson said.

"However, as there was sufficient room in the grave, we believe the council at the time allowed for a second public burial in this grave, as a gesture of goodwill.

"What is clear, is that the grave has never been privately owned, and as such, there is no formal owner of the exclusive right to burial for this grave. These rights are required to authorise any future burials in this grave, and to authorise any associated memorial works.”

The council added that at some point between 1972 and 2011, a headstone was erected at the plot but that technically this should not have occurred as the grave was unpurchased.

Regulations were not as strict as they are today, and it was not uncommon in years gone by for unpurchased graves to acquire headstones without the knowledge of the council.

CCC says the headstone failed a safety check in 2011 and was temporarily staked and banded, then in 2017 was laid flat, which is a “standard response” across the industry.

The authority says as the grave is unowned, and the memorial technically unauthorised, it is unable to permit works to go ahead before rights to burial for this grave are purchased.

The spokesperson said: "Were we to waive this fee, we would be going against standard industry practice and burial legislation, and also giving preferential treatment compared to all other grave owners that have had to pay to purchase their grave in the cemetery, to acquire these rights.

"However, one possible alternative option which we would be happy to discuss with the family is the purchasing of a revised 10-year lease of the grave, which would be £239.

"This would cover them legally as it provides valid burial rights and also gives additional years should they require further memorial works in the future.”

Mrs Grant told KentOnline she appreciates the offer but was disappointed that it had taken more than four weeks to get to the bottom of the matter.

“I’m glad they’ve at least given us the opportunity to buy a 10-year lease,” she said.

“And I’m glad we were able to bring this to people’s attention.

“How many other people have loved ones buried in a common grave with a headstone that shouldn’t be there?”

Mrs Pratley, however, believes the council should be doing more to help families like hers.

“I am thankful that they’ve offered an amended lease period but it still doesn’t seem relevant,” she added.

“It makes me question why am I being offered a 10-year lease on a gravesite when all I wish to do is have the memorial repaired, which is estimated to take one day?

“The council needs to offer options for lease periods on graves to allow for this kind of thing. This makes it out like the council is trying to profit off of death and the family members of those who have died.”

The council spokesperson added: “We remain in communication with the family and are doing all we can in a sensitive and compassionate manner to resolve this issue.”