The safety notices were attached to wooden stakes by memorials and headstones deemed to be a risk of collapse at Teddington Cemetery, in south-west London.
Furious mourners visiting loved ones at the Grade II-listed site near Twickenham have labelled them “upsetting” and “offensive”.
But Lib Dem-controlled Richmond Council, which erected the signs, says the owners of each grave must pay to make it safe before they are removed.
The warning reads: “Caution – memorial is unsafe, do not touch.”
It adds: “Following recent memorial safety testing memorials found to be unsafe have now been identified and temporarily made safe. The council apologises for any distress this may have caused but treats safety with the highest priority. Memorial owners must now contact a suitably qualified contractor to take swift action to have the necessary repairs carried out to British Standard 8415 and current industry codes of practice. It is a legal requirement for councils to carry out regular safety testing to ensure the safety of memorials.”
The authority acted despite Ministry of Justice guidance on managing cemetery safety.
It reads: “The issue of memorial safety has from time to time been the subject of adverse publicity and public distress – often because of over-zealous risk assessments or poor communication. In light of this, burial ground operators have expressed concern about how to respond appropriately to the risks presented by unstable gravestones.
“Significant risks should of course be properly managed.
“But the risk of injury from a gravestone or other memorial which has become loose and unstable is very low.
“Any action to manage risks in burial grounds needed to be sensible, proportionate, and undertaken in a sensitive way”.
But Katherine Fisher, whose husband, son and mother are buried at Teddington, said “The action carried out by the cemetery’s authorities is upsetting, offensive, disproportionate and a total waste of money.
“There must surely be a more sensitive way of contacting grave owners from their database.” Another mourner, who wished to remain anonymous, described it as “health and safety gone mad” and a “desecration”.
Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense group of Tory MPs, said: “When one hears this kind of nonsense it undermines the claim councils are strapped for cash.”
A Richmond Council spokesperson said it was carrying out a legal requirement to ensure all our memorials are safe, adding: “In Teddington there are 160 that need remedial work, from 750 tested, with a significant number within a section which is part of the safe routes to school scheme.”
