A COWDENBEATH man said Fife Council have "no compassion whatsoever" after claiming they damaged the headstone on his family's plot. 

James McKay said it got cracked when they were burying his mother, Mary, on Tuesday, July 2, and that the local authority won't pay to have it replaced - despite saying that they would originally. 

He told the Times: "Fife Council have damaged my family plot's headstone. It’s got my sister, my brother and now my mother in it.

"You would need to see it to believe it, it’s been done by machinery, which I was told by Co-op Funeralcare.

"I got in contact with [Fife Council] and they said ‘Oh I'm sorry to hear that, I'll go and have a look at it, I'm an honest man, I'll tell you.’  

"So he goes up, he has a look at it, he’s supposed to phone me back within the week but two weeks later I had to phone them.

"He says ‘Oh I don’t know how we’ve done that, I don’t know, I'll get my manager to phone you.’  

"So the manager, Liz Murphy, phones me and says ‘I’ve got a photo in front of me, I can see that it wasn't damaged before. I’ll send you out a compensation form, we’ll get the Co-op to value it and then we’ll get it paid for you'."

But James then received a letter the following week, informing him that compensation would NOT be given.

"Basically," he continued, "they’ve done a U-turn."

James and his family say that they are unable to pay to have the stone replaced themselves and believe the way the council have handled the situation is "disgusting". 

He added: "We’ve not got £5,000 to replace it so my mother's going to be sitting up there now with a headstone that’s not got her name on it and a headstone that’s now cracked. The water will get into it and they’ll have to remove it because it will start deteriorating. 

"It’s supposed to be the Fife Bereavement Services, but they don’t care.  It’s disgusting, for a family that’s mourning.

"We lost my brother in 2018 from cancer and now my mother in 2024 and they damaged it, what can you say to that? 

"It’s the way they talk to you as well, it’s disgusting.  I don’t know what to do, they have no compassion whatsoever."

Fife Council's bereavement services manager, Liz Murphy, said she has discussed the family's concerns with them.

She added: "We have asked the family to raise any concerns formally as this will be dealt with by an independent party who will consider any evidence, including photographs of any damage."