KIRKLEES Council and other local authorities have been told by the Health and Safety Executive to act over unsafe gravestones following an outbreak of incidents in recent years.

The HSE says it is hard to give precise figures about the danger posed by unstable graves. But here are some cases it dealt with:

Oct 2002: In Greater Manchester a woman suffered a badly-broken ankle when a 2ft memorial fell against her leg.

Nov 2002: A 19-year-old man was killed in a churchyard by a falling memorial. The Health and Safety Commission is indicating it is likely to proceed with prosecution.

March 2003: In the Leeds area, a woman was taken into hospital for four weeks after a memorial fell and stripped skin from her legs.

Oct 2003: Harrogate Council settled out of court after the death of a six-year-old boy in a cemetery. The settlement amounted to £33,000 in addition to £1m to deal with memorial safety issues.