A family who discovered their dad had been buried in the wrong grave have reacted to the news that seven more families have endured mix-ups in their loved ones’ burials.

The Bell family discovered back in July that they had been visiting someone else’s grave for 17 years where they believed their dad Thomas was buried.

They only discovered the distressing blunder after the death of mum Hilda in June, whose last wishes were to be buried alongside her doting husband.

Read more: Durham, Darlington and Teesside loved ones buried in 'wrong' graves

Thomas and Hilda’s relatives endured a painful six week wait to bury their mum while gravediggers dug up 11 plots at Holy Trinity Church, Wingate to find their father’s resting place.

The Northern Echo: Tom Bell at the grave he thought was his father's for 17 years. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTTom Bell at the grave he thought was his father's for 17 years. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Now, the Bell family have spoken out after a Northern Echo investigation exposed seven more occasions when North East families endured mistakes in burying their loved ones.

Tom Bell, 58, who previously told how he felt unable to grieve due to the blunder, said: “It’s disgraceful really. In this day and age there shouldn’t be discrepancies over where people are buried.

“When we saw that this had happened to another family we couldn’t believe it, it’s just awful, but to find out it has happened to seven more is just horrific.”

Explaining how the discovery of the blunder impacted them Tom added: “We couldn’t grieve while they were searching for dad. Mum used to go to visit where she thought dad was every Friday on the way to get her hair done.

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“She’d be heartbroken to know she’d been visiting someone else all that time.

“I think the most awful part was having to have the funeral and then mum go back into the hearse and back to the funeral home. Looking back now we keep saying that first funeral should never have happened.

Last month The Echo also revealed how Sylvia Ross had been visiting her dad’s Bishop Auckland grave for 43 years, only to discover he had been buried in an unmarked plot two graves away the whole time.

The Northern Echo: Earlier this year Sylvia Ross discovered her dad had been buried in an unmarked grave for 43 years, two plots away from where she'd been told he was buried. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTTEarlier this year Sylvia Ross discovered her dad had been buried in an unmarked grave for 43 years, two plots away from where she'd been told he was buried. Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Speaking at the time Sylvia’s daughter Lynette said: “We’re disgusted, and my mam is heartbroken.

“She says her dad has laid there thinking not one of us cared about him, with no flowers and no visits, nothing.

“It’s just disgusting, how can they get something so simple so wrong?”

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