Overgrown cemetery labelled 'disgrace' by visitors

A councillor said some paths were "barely accessible"

The overgrown state of a Derby cemetery has been called “disrespectful” to those buried there.

Uttoxeter New Road Cemetery has been described as a “neglected mess” by one visitor who said he nearly broke his ankles when trying to view the graves.

Grass at the site, which includes Commonwealth war graves, appears to have grown just above some of the headstones' height, with some visitors saying some walkways are now inaccessible and inscriptions hard to read.

Derby City Council, which owns the cemetery, said wet and warm weather had led to "exponential grass growth" across the city and its teams were currently focusing on cutting highway verges.

As well as war graves, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the family of Ernest Townsend, who disguised the Rolls-Royce factory roof as houses during World War Two to prevent aerial attacks, are buried at the site, as are members of the Morley family, the original founders of Derby County Football Club.

The council says it is focusing on highways cutting

Ashley Waterhouse, chairman of Derby Civic Society, said: “There have been seeded trees which have sprung up thick and fast causing a lot of damage to graves and pushing headstones over. There are some high-profile figures buried there.”

Derby resident Kalwinder Dhindsa, who often visits the site to research local history, said: “It’s a disgrace. A neglected mess. I’ve almost broke my ankles.”

And Conservative councillor Steve Hassall said the cemetery was “an unbelievable scene of neglect with grass several feet high, brambles and weeds out of control with paths barely accessible and memorials completely cut off”.

He said: "This is a complete embarrassment, shameful and disrespectful.

“I can categorically say I have never seen it in such a mess. This is a place of remembrance.”

A Derby City Council spokesperson said: “No decision has been taken not to cut grass in any part of the city.

“Our teams routinely mow grass in public spaces, however the recent wet and warm weather has led to exponential grass growth.

“We are deploying all available resources to manage this increase and keep the many acres of grass mown across the city. Our resources are being focused on key areas, such as highway grass verges.”

One gate at the site has been vandalised with the message "cut the grass"