Tonge Cemetery submerged underwater again after downpours

A section of Tonge Cemetery was flooded last week after heavy downpours.

And now  a councillor has said he will contact local authority's engineers to see if anything can be done to prevent the ground becoming waterlogged in the future.

Part of the flooded section contains the graves of nuns from the sisters of the Cross and Passion Order.

Ward councillor Martin Donaghy said the issue had been there since before he was first elected in 2012.

He said: "I know there have been problems with the drainage in the cemetery especially when there has been heavy rainfall. We have had that difficulty for years.

"It is a historic thing really which goes back many years.

"I will have a word with the engineers to see if anything can be done.

"I suspect it is going to be a long term thing. I understand the distress and the anguish it is causing to people.

"I have known about this since before I was on the council.

"I first became a councillor in 2012.

"Some of the graves there are those of nuns from the sisters of the cross and passion order."

One visitor to the cemetery said: "It is so sad to still be seeing the cemetery flooding every time we have a down pour. These poor souls surely did opt for their  eternal resting place to be a swamp. "

Flooding also occurred in 2020.

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “We are aware of a flooding issue at the south-eastern end of Tonge Cemetery.

“The cause of the flooding is being investigated, but has been aggravated by recent heavy rainfall and we expect the water level to start dropping again over the next few days.

“We are satisfied that no headstones have been damaged by the water, which is present in an area of the cemetery which has not been used for burials for many years.

“The issue will not impact on any operational use of the cemetery and any planned burials will be unaffected.”