Yahoo News Man's shock after trip to 'disgraceful' Plymouth cemetery
A Plymouth man was left in shock after visiting Efford Cemetery on D-Day to pay his respects to his late Royal Navy veteran uncle.
The grave of navy serviceman Walter Smith is one of hundreds of resting places dedicated to veterans at the cemetery. Matt Smith, Walter’s nephew, was visiting his uncle's grave on June 6 to commemorate Walter’s birthday. But he was left upset by how overgrown the graveyard was. Efford Cemetery is the site of many veteran’s graves, including 109 Second World War burials.
As well as his uncle, Matt’s dad and grandparents are also buried in Efford Cemetery. Matt said some of the weeds had grown taller than the headstones.
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He said: “It’s an absolute disgrace. I couldn’t believe it. My mother would have gone ballistic if she saw it like that. For a start you could get bitten by a snake. Anyone elderly could do themselves serious injury and you wouldn’t see them if they fell on the grass. I go up to visit the graves regularly and I've never seen it like that before.
“With regard to my dad’s grave, I’m fuming that it has been allowed to be overgrown due to the obvious deterioration that causes to the stonework (headstone), that’s covered in grass stains now.
“I understand why areas are left to go wild, for the bees and nature, but the whole cemetery is overgrown, there’s not even a pathway mown to create a walkway to the graves. It was fine in March, but I'm stunned at the overgrown state of it now.”
Matt said getting the grass stains off the family headstones will now be a struggle. The 58-year-old said he spent half an hour cleaning them yesterday, but one headstone is still stained.
He said: “We had to pay a fortune to get the headstone removed, engraved and cleaned in September 2019. I don’t know how I’m supposed to get grass stains out. I’m not happy with Plymouth City Council for allowing this to happen. It’s just unbelievable. I found the deed showing my uncle paid for 100 years lease (of the plot) in 1986. So we’ve paid for it and have to pay council tax for the upkeep too.”
A Plymouth City Council spokesman said: "We’re sorry that the grass in some areas of Efford Cemetery has got a bit long. Clearly this falls below the standards we have set for keeping our cemeteries tidy.
"The area is on the schedule to cut and our team will get to this location as soon as they possibly can."
Efford Cemetery - which first opened in 1907- includes the mass burials of Second World War heroes killed in the 1941 Blitz. Re-interred remains from St Andrews churchyard and the now derelict Charles Church graveyard were also taking to a new resting place at Efford Cemetery.
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