“THEY promised they would put it right and they haven’t.”

They are the words of a grieving family who are still waiting for the council to tidy up their loved one’s grave after workers dumped a mound of dirt on it.

Today Christine Honour, Carol Penman and Leslie Garnham were meeting council officers at the cemetery to show them the mess that has been left behind.

Last week council chiefs issued an apology after the Daily Echo revealed the shocking scene discovered by the sisters when they visited their brother John Garnham’s grave on the anniversary of his death.

They were reduced to tears during the annual visit to Millbrook Cemetery to mark 28 years since he died at the age of 29.

But now, although the huge mountain of dirt has been moved, the sisters say the grave is still in tatters, despite council leader Simon Letts saying he will do his best to make sure everything is returned as it should be.

They say the headstone is loose, the concrete border is damaged and old flowers from other graves have been dumped on top.

Christine, 46, a nursery teacher said: “I haven’t got any faith in them now. It’s made it worse that they said they would sort it out and they haven’t. They haven’t put any care into anything.

“I want them to see the grief they have caused us and the vandalism they’ve caused in that cemetery by not thinking. They have disrespected the whole graveyard.

“They said they would put it right and they haven’t so now we want compensation so that we can get a professional in to fix it properly.”

Cabinet member for environment and transport at Southampton City Council Councillor Jacqui Rayment said Southampton City Council officers and the cemetery manager were due to meet members of the family at the site this morning to ascertain if there has been any lasting damage.

“If indeed there is damage to the gravestone we will do everything we can to get this rectified as soon as possible," she said.