A man has been refused permission to repair the grave of the father and brothers he never met after they were killed by a Second World War bomb.

Robert Foster, 73, of Fleet Estate, Dartford, has been told he needs to spend around £60 to take over legal ownership of his family’s grave in the Dartford council-run Watling Street Cemetery.

As owner, he would have the right to carry out cleaning and repairs to the memorial where his father Robert, 27, and his brothers Dennis, six, Brian, four, and Victor, 20 months, were buried after they were killed at their home at 46 Carrington Road, Dartford, on August 6, 1944, during an air raid.

His mother, Ivy Freed, was also buried there in 1991.

Mr Foster never met his father or brothers as his mother was pregnant with him when they died.

The family had just had lunch when the bomb hit. The father and sons were stood near a door which led outside, and she was at the kitchen sink.

She was saved after a dresser fell forward, protecting her from debris.

The row over ownership of the grave has come about because Mrs Freed, who remarried after the family tragedy, is still the registered owner.

Dartford Council says it cannot allow work to be carried out unless agreed by the owner – following guidance brought in 12 years ago – and transferring registration should cost about £60.

But Mr Foster – who wants to lift the fallen gravestone, repair missing letters and give it a clean – refuses to pay, claiming it a matter of principal, especially as he fixed it in 1993 without a problem.

He is also unhappy the council has only returned his inquiries in writing and not over the phone or in person.

Mr Foster said: “I felt I was being blackmailed. It is a matter of principle.

“Nobody at the council would speak to me. All they did was make notes on their computer and put it in writing. They are not prepared to do anything to the grave, but I am.”

Mr Foster, who has no photo of his father, said: “I would like to keep the memory of my family alive. This is probably going to be the last chance to make it decent again.”

He had hoped to have the repairs finished by the August anniversary.

He added: “Back in June, I tried to have the grave cleaned and reported it. I went to the Co-op [funeral directors] and got a quote from them to get it done. They went to the council to get permission and they said it can’t be done because of the mix-up of the ownership.

“I can’t understand why they put a person into a grave and make them the owner of it?

“It would be nice if they could explain why we can’t repair a grave that is there. Just give me some explanation.”

Dave Thomas, waste and parks manager at Dartford Council, said: “The issue we have is that only the grave owner can give permission for such works and in this case, the grave owner, Mr Foster’s mother, is deceased so she can’t.

“Mr Foster therefore needs to have ownership of the grave transferred to him.

“In order for this to happen he has to complete a form, pay a fee of £50 and provide proof of identity via a Commissioner for Oaths, usually available via a solicitor for a fee of about £10.

"I can’t understand why they put a person into a grave and make them the owner of it?" - Robert Foster

“The law on these matters did not change in 2005, but the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management issued national guidance on the transfer of burial rights, which is the procedure we are following.”

A commemorative plaque marking where the Second World War bomb dropped, devastating hundreds of lives, was unveiled in March 2015.

When the V-1 flying bomb, also known as a doodlebug, fell on Carrington Road on Sunday, August 6, 1944, it killed 10 people and injured 107.

It destroyed 20 homes and caused damage to a further 700 in the surrounding area.

The blue plaque was officially unveiled in Carrington Road by leader of the council Cllr Jeremy Kite, watched by neighbours, war veterans and relatives of those affected.