Moray Council has “sincerely” apologised for any “distress” which may have been caused after a cemetery was flooded.
Pictures taken by a visitor to Clovenside Cemetery in Forres on New Year’s Day appeared to show some graves within the cemetery submerged under water.
Clovenside Cemetery in Forres is prone to recurrent flooding.
In 2021, Moray Council tried to address flooding issues at the cemetery with a £56,000 drainage project.
But work, which should have been completed in approximately four weeks, stalled with the local authority unable to give a timescale for completion.
The council has confirmed, however, that work was completed in 2021.
A spokesperson for Moray Council said: “Significant drainage work was completed in 2021, making a considerable impact in addressing the issue of ponding in this area of the cemetery.
“Unfortunately, during high levels of prolonged rainfall, ponding may still occur.
“We sincerely apologise for any distress that this situation may have caused.”
While the local authority has issued an apology for the latest instance of flooding, it stopped short of confirming whether further work will be carried out to solve the issue.
Forres resident Karen Ettles says the situation is “out of hand”.
Ms Ettles has family members buried within the cemetery and noticed the extent of the flooding first hand while visiting last week.
She said: “I was visiting the cemetery on New year and to see this was a huge disappointment as yet again it has flooded.
“My grandmother is buried in the middle of this as well as other family members.
“But to see a new opening slap bang in the middle was heartbreaking for me so I can only imagine what the family of the deceased was feeling.
“It’s heart wrenching that any family should have to witness this.
“Good grief we are all paying enough for a funeral without having to deal with this.”