A CANCER patient has been told a mix-up at a cemetery means she will not be buried with her parents.
Karen Throssel, 58, claims she has been told there is no space for her, despite only three family members occupying the four-person plot.
Miss Throssel's mother, Dorothy, 93, was the last to be buried in February, in the plot at Northern Cemetery in Chanterlands Avenue, west Hull.
Her father, George, 72, was the first family member to be buried in 1992, with an aunt following 11 years ago.
Miss Throssel, who lives on the Boothferry estate in west Hull, said: "As we prepared to bury my mother, M Garton & Son funeral directors, which I have to say have been fantastic, told me, 'You do realise that your mother will be the last one to be buried in this plot, don't you?'
"I said, 'No. It's for four people and I'll be that fourth person one day, joining my parents and aunt in the plot'.
Miss Throssel says the funeral director explained to her that her aunt had not been buried deep enough in the plot.
She said: "My mother would be mortified. She would be absolutely devastated.
"The reason my aunt, who was my mother's sister, was buried in the plot was because we all thought there would be another space for me.
"My mother wanted me to be buried with her and my father."
Miss Throssel contacted the Mail to highlight her story following the experiences of another reader, Carl Smith.
His mother, Enid, 81, was buried in March, but it transpired, when she was being buried, that his father was interred too high up in the family's four-person plot back in the 1980s.
Mr Smith has been told two people can still be buried in the plot, but he says it now holds bad memories and his family insist it will never be opened again.
He is in a dispute with the council, because he refuses to pay the £795 burial bill, because of weeks of distress the error has caused to his family.
Miss Throssel said: "At first I was in shock that this mistake could have been made, but now I have had time to think about it.
"I believe the council must have known 11 years ago that there was only one space left, but they didn't inform us.
"To me, it looks as though they were hoping no one else would go into the grave and the problem would just go away."
Miss Throssel says she made several attempts to contact a senior manager in the Bereavement Services team at the council, but claims no one was available until the Mail got involved.
Andy Brown, city customer services manager, said: "Hull City Council is very sorry to hear about Karen Throssel's situation and we express our regret that she does not feel her concerns have been answered fully.
"While it is not appropriate to comment on individual circumstances, we can confirm that our bereavement team have spoken with her.
"We would like to extend an invitation for Miss Throssel to speak with our bereavement team at her convenience."
Miss Throssel was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last September, but is responding well to treatment.
She said: "I have been offered a two-person plot, but I turned it down, because it would mean I would be on my own. That's not what my mum would have wanted for me.
"With what has happened to Mr Smith and me, you have to ask the question, how many other families has this happened to?"
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