THOUSANDS of gravestones are being checked to make sure they will not fall over.

Council workers are using handheld electronic devices, similar to surveyors' tools, to check stability of memorials in the borough's cemeteries.

They are currently working on the gravestones in Chislehurst Cemetery, Beaverswood Road, Chislehurst.

Gravestones thought to be unsafe are pulled out and either laid on top or at the side of the grave, with a note from the council about how to get them put up again.

Principal liaison officer for cemeteries Alan James said: "The testing programme is being carried out as carefully as possible as we recognise the sensitivities involved.

"We must ensure memorials and headstones are stable.

"Particularly after a stone has been erected for a number of years, it is possible that some may be unsafe."