DEVASTATED mourners were left in "hysterics" as they had to wait for a beloved man's grave to be finished on the day of his funeral. Following the tragic passing of 48-year-old Christopher Raftry last month, his family and friends came to pay their respects and lay him to rest on Monday, June 3. Following a funeral service at St Richard's Church in Atherton, Christopher was set to be buried at a sentimental spot in Tyldesley Cemetery, where his grandparents are both buried.
However, mourners were left horrified as the grave had not been completed prior to the funeral, and family members also complained about the conduct of gravediggers and the "appalling condition" that the site was left in. READ > Family business that became a 'household name' call it a day after more than 40 years Family members complained about the condition the grave was left in (Image: Thomas Raftry) Christopher's elderly dad Thomas, 86, said: "The way the reception was conducted at the cemetery was disgraceful. "When we arrived with the funeral cars at the graveside, there was a gravedigger still inside the grave, digging out the sides of the hole from where the machine had not cut.
"The grass had not even been mowed and we could hear the gravedigger muttering to himself and asking 'who is going to pay for all of this extra work?' "The family were in hysterics and had to stand in the rain for about ten minutes to wait for the job to be finished." Christopher passed away aged 48 last month (Image: Thomas.
