UNDER-fire council chiefs are holding an emergency meeting following the Monmouthshire graves row.

The special cabinet meeting follows a storm of protest over the county council's policy of laying flat potentially unsafe headstones.

As reported in the Argus, grieving relatives criticised the council for laying down loved ones' headstones in Gilwern and Llanfoist cemeteries.

They said they had not been informed, and claimed notices were only posted on the gates on the day the work was carried out.

The council was accused by some parents of desecrating their child's final resting-place.

Now cabinet will meet on Friday to discuss the furore caused by the laying flat of gravestones.

At last week's full council meeting Councillor Cliff Meredith asked why relatives had not been informed beforehand. He described the incident as "an act of vandalism by the council".

Councillor Meredith added: "This is a sensitive time of the year, with Mothering Sunday and Easter, and people will be visiting graves who are not aware this has happened.

"This safety survey started eight months ago. Why did the council not post notices? I move that a sum of money is set aside to repair each headstone, the council should compensate these families."

Councillor Andre Arkell said the headstones had been laid flat following a number of deaths from falling stones in other parts of Britain, and an accident in one of the council's own cemeteries in Monmouth.

He said relatives were informed by notices posted on cemetery gates.

"Relatives were not advised beforehand in order not to worry them, and many were untraceable."

Councillor Martin Thomas said after the meeting that he had been inundated with complaints from people living in Clydach, Gilwern and Llanelly Hill whose relatives' graves had been affected.

He chaired a public meeting in Gilwern about the issue, which was attended by more than 70 people.

He added people felt that notices should have been correctly displayed on the cemetery gates and notices put out early enough to warn people this was happening.