Residents dismayed over cluttered ground at Dudley church cemetery

Felt floor tiles and rubber tyres litter the ground at the cemetery of the church, which has been left to become overgrown, with residents calling for action to save the grounds.

Concerned resident Judith Fisher, originally from, Dudley, said: "The church and the grounds have been a huge concern for the myself and the residents for a few years now.

"The church grounds have been loaded down with junk, the building is falling to pieces. I didn't think things could get any worse but they really have."

St John's Church, on Kate Hill, was deemed to be unsafe in 2002 and was left boarded up, with the congregation utilising the nearby Parish Church of Saint John the Evangelist building on St John Road.

Judith continued: "Carpet tiles have been put over some of the graves and a row of car tyres have appeared on the grounds for some reason.

"I love St John's and I love this church. There are volunteers ready and waiting to work on the grounds. We just want to see progress, which we have seen very little of lately."

Church warden Brian Wentworth said that the felt tiles and tyres littering the graves are not the doing of the church and that the church has not given up on the grounds.

Mr Wentworth added: "The situation is that it is the responsibility of the families to maintain the plots and the areas around the graves, and the responsibility of us and the council to maintain the common areas.

"The simple truth is that we as a church and the council don't have the funds to maintain it the way it should be. The money usually comes from fees received from the burial grounds, which have been closed for a number of years, so we have had no real income for the grounds."

Mr Wentworth said that discussions between the greater Dudley deacons and the local authority will help provide a solution for the overgrown grounds.

Mr Wentworth continued: "We haven't given up on the grounds. We hope that with the local authority involved, we might be able to get something going in a good way.

"It's an interesting and wide challenge for us, the council and the community to tackle."

Reverend James Treasure, team rector at St. James Church, said the situation is complicated and that the church will work closely with the council and the families to help the grounds.

Rev Treasure said: "It's a complicated situation as there is a number of organisations there who are responsible for the grounds.

"However, we want to do all we can and we are happy to work more closely with the council and families to make this a really special place in the community. If you want to get involved please get in touch with the church."

Dudley Council has also been approached for comment.