'It's been neglected for years': Mourners complain over state of graveyard

People visiting a graveyard have complained that the site has become so overgrown it is now a hazard.

Hove Cemetery in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, has caused upset for visitors who think the cemetery has been left neglected and uncared for.

One woman told The Argus: "The cemetery has been neglected for a number of years, it’s a hazard to visit and is dangerous.

People have complained about the state of the graveyard (Image: Supplied)

READ MORE: Hedgehog found with plastic wrapped around it dies after suffering severe injuries

"On my last visit in June, just tiny areas were cleared and there were still large brambles that had never been cut down."

Some graves at the site are covered in brambles (Image: Supplied)

The woman also said that it is likely some people will be struggling to get to their loved ones graves as a result of how overgrown the site is.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "Our contractors will be visiting the site to make sure there is full access to every single grave.

“We apologies for any inconvenience which has been caused to people visiting the cemetery and will be putting steps in place to make sure this important site does not become overgrown again.

One woman said the cemetery looks 'neglected' (Image: Supplied)

“We absolutely understand how important it is for people to be able to visit their loved one’s graves to pay their respects and for our cemeteries to be fully accessible.”

People in Adur and Worthing have also complained about the state of the cemeteries in these areas, with a number of people taking to social media to express their upset.

One woman said the sites were so overgrown that she could no longer visit the graves of her grandparents.

At the time, a spokesman for Adur and Worthing Councils said: "If you’ve visited one of our burial grounds in recent weeks you may have noticed that the grass in certain areas is getting quite long.

Brighton and Hove City Council said it will take action to make sure it will not happen again (Image: Supplied)

"While this is great for wildlife, we recognise that it can make it a bit tricky for visitors to move easily around some of our places of remembrance at times.

"We’re working as hard as we can to keep the grass at a manageable level but the perfect growing conditions we’ve had, plus the need to prioritise preparing for new burials at our cemeteries, means we’ve not been as successful as we’d like.

"We’ve not forgotten about this work though. We’re visiting each of our sites in rotation and will cut back the grass and vegetation as soon as we can."