‘Sinking’ ground in between graves at Penn Road Cemetery has been topped up with fresh soil following heavy rain in High Wycombe.

Buckinghamshire Council said several residents had ‘raised concerns regarding water’ at the council-run burial site in Hazlemere, which serves the unparished area of High Wycombe.

More soil was added to the areas in between graves on Monday afternoon to ensure that the ground around them remains level.

Maz Hussain, the Conservative Buckinghamshire Councillor for Downley Ward, said that several peopled had approached him about this issue and thanked them for bringing it to his attention.

The councillor told the Bucks Free Press: “I’ve been informed that the soil has been topped up.

“From what I can gather, the heavy rainfall caused the soil to begin sinking.”

The reports of sinking ground around the graves come after Buckinghamshire saw its wettest September since records began in 1836, with 176mm of rainfall across the county last month.

However, drainage and water issues at Penn Road Cemetery, which opened in 2022, are not a new problem for the council.

Cllr Majid Hussain reported last year that pooling rainwater between the graves made the ground slippery, before the council responded and laid down grass turf.

The Labour councillor said at the time: “In rainy conditions, the ground was very slippery and dangerous which caused people to slip whilst visiting loved ones in the graveyard.”

Mark Winn, the council’s cabinet member for housing and regulatory services told the Free Press: “Following recent extensive and heavy rainfall across the county, soil on two of the recently filled graves at the Penn Road Cemetery, has needed to be topped up sooner than expected.

“Topping up is a normal procedure as the mounded soil placed on top of a grave following a burial will naturally settle over time.

“The recent weather has accelerated the settlement of the soil at two of the most recently excavated graves in the children’s section of the cemetery.

“The topping up was completed the next working day, on Monday 30 September. No graves were exposed and no flooding has occurred at the site during this period. The cemeteries team carry out regular inspections at the site and topping up is arranged swiftly as and where needed.”