Work on 800-year-old Pevensey Church started at the end of April after a successful fundraising appeal brought in more than £100,000.

The aim is to make the building water tight and members of the church and congregation are delighted the work is taking place.

However, 18-year-old Pevensey resident Jeni Boggett went to visit her father's burial site in the church yard this week and was 'distressed' to find a scaffolding pole on the grave.

"Not only have they put a scaffolding pole through the grave of my father, where his head should be, but they also left their lunch on his gravestone and their workbench and tools all over his grave," said Jeni.

"I am so disgusted at the contractors but the vicar just told me that there was nothing he could do and that they were doing a good job."

Paul Martin from Street Scaffolding said, "Our options are very limited and we must do things in accordance with the surveyors.

"We do our best to keep everyone happy but you can't please everyone all of the time.

"If this lady is very upset I will have a look and see if we can move it but it is there to add support and stability."

Dave Merriman, site foreman and stonemason, said, "We work with cemeteries all the time and it is part of our job to respect the graves.
"I hold my hands up and apologise if items were left on the grave. We didn't want to upset anyone and it won't happen again.

"When we leave the ground will be put good and left spotless."

Owen Visick, church warden, said, "We are sympathetic to Miss Boggett's situation and we understand graves are important to the families of the deceased but in the over all scheme of things, inevitably the contractors must trespass on spaces which we would like to treat with respect.

"I was not present when the scaffolding went up but there are thousands of scaffolding poles and it would have been almost impossible to do the work without affecting any of the graves.

"I would like to stress that the poles are mounted on wooden panels and penetrate the ground by less than an inch and the burials are made some six feet deep.

"When I was young we were told 'never walk on a grave' but due to the large amount of burial in the churchyard and a growing problem with space this has become more and more difficult over the years."