Outcry over grave mess

Mourners at a Black Country cemetery are struggling to find the graves of their loved ones because the grass is so overgrown, they claimed today.

Neglect of Wood Green graveyard in Wednesbury means grass is 3ft high in places. Visitors have been left shocked at the state of the area, while some elderly residents have been unable to access the burial ground because it is so uneven and unkempt. Wednesbury councillor Elaine Costigan said she received several complaints and accused the authority of a lack of respect. 

One 86-year-old Wednesbury resident, who did not wish to be named, said both her parents had been buried there since the 1930s and 1940s but she was unable to visit their graves at the moment because of the state of the site .

“I don’t know what to say other than it is an absolute disgrace,” she said. “I always try and get there three or four times a year and make sure there are always flowers there. 

“My son goes down as well and it was him that complained about it. He couldn’t find the graves and said he was stepping over other graves to try and find them because the grass was so long. 

“Last time I went down myself, I fell over and hurt my hand as it was so uneven. I’m infirm at the moment and I can’t get the wheelchair over the grass, otherwise I would love to go down there,” she added. 

Councillor Costigan said: “It is so upsetting for people to see the state of the graveyard. This needs time spending on it to get it sorted and maybe the staff should work overtime as they cannot keep upsetting residents like this,” she added.

Brendan Day, Sandwell Council’s bereavement services manager, apologised and said they would tackle the problem. “We are sorry for any distress and will go out to investigate as soon as possible,” he said.

“We started a team working in Wood Green Cemetery this week and hope to bring it up to normal standard shortly.”