Council chiefs admit it will cost at least £1.5 million to repair the damage at crisis-hit Ayr Cemetery.
Ayrshire Live can reveal the huge sum has been set aside to deal with the ongoing scandal at South Ayrshire's largest burial ground.
A report to be put in front of top councillors next week details the painstaking programme of exhumation works which start on Monday.
And the shock document reveals: “Initial indications are that the cost of the works required for Ayr Cemetery will be in the region of £1,500,000.”
A "bespoke metal rain cover" has been cited as the solution to prevent further water ingress after tests were run on empty chambers, with the method awaiting technical approval.
South Ayrshire Council's grounds maintenance boss will be seconded to manage the crisis – with a new staff member drafted in at a cost of £30,000.
This all comes as officials finally admit the incident requires “significant staff resource”.
Cemeteries in Annbank, Monkton & Prestwick and Maybole are to act as back-up burial grounds with lair space at Ayr rapidly reduced during works.
It comes after Ayrshire Live previously told how grieving families faced moving loved ones to other South Ayrshire locations if they want an earthen reburial.
The report details how council chiefs were able to “reclaim an area within the old Ayr Cemetery” to allow burials to continue in the town.
The report adds: “We have received some requests for loved ones to be placed in an earthen burial, however, given the capacity constraints within the reclaimed area, we would propose to accommodate this wish within Maybole, Monkton & Prestwick or Annbank cemeteries.
“However, if the number of requests for this are low, we may be able to accommodate them within Ayr Cemetery.”
Discussions are also ongoing with funeral directors for families who wish to have a reburial ceremony.
The Ayr Cemetery works will see a massive chunk of the council’s cemetery £2.3m budget used with the spending set to affect future projects in the years ahead.
The report details how the council is considering legal advice to “establish whether there are grounds for the council to undertake legal action against the contractor(s) to recover all or any costs incurred by the council".
Troon Cemetery is mentioned within the report – with bosses admitting the burial ground there likely faces the same problems as those in Ayr.
Council officials estimate that work across both sites could take six months – meaning families may face anguish into 2023. The report adds: “A full programme of works has yet to be established for Troon Cemetery.”
A total of 126 graves are affected in Ayr with world-renowned exhumer Peter Mitchell set to arrive next week to begin exhumation work.
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
