MOURNERS arriving for funerals at a Swindon cemetery are being faced with the sorry sight of a tatty caravan parked outside the gates.

The vehicle, which is covered in green algae, has been left in a layby on Whitworth Road for some time, prompting complaints that it has been abandoned.

Now the Swindon Borough Council is investigating rumours that it is actually being lived in illegally.

Borough councillor Derique Montaut said he reported it around three weeks ago but it was still there yesterday morning.

“People going to a funeral at the cemetery have got to put up with seeing that,” he said.

“It really is alongside the gates.”

“The council is concerned members of the public not respecting their environment, but this is a main highway into the centre and it is not a good ambassador.

“It is making the place look more run down than it is.”

It is not known how long the small touring caravan had been in Pinehurst before Coun Monthaut spotted and reported it.

But he said: “We should be able to remove things fairly quickly rather than go through this laborious process,” he said.

“Whatever the issue is, we should not have to wait all this time to get it removed.”

“It is more than an eyesore. I think it is a disgrace and it reflects a town that does not respect its own people.”

Worse than that it sent the wrong message to people who might be tempted to fly tip or abandon vehicles.

“It encourages other people to do exactly the same,” he said.

He believed one of the reasons for the delay was that different council departments were unsure who was responsible for dealing with it.

“Nobody knows who is responsible within the council for moving it and while they are arguing about it we are having to put up with it.”

Contacted by the Advertiser today, Swindon Borough Council said at first it was thought contractors working on the replacement of a gas main in the area might be using it as a rest facility.

But further inquiries revealed that wasn’t the case and there was a possibility someone was living it. Officials will be investigating further.

The spokesman stressed it was not permitted and the site was classed as highway.

“We will be visiting the site tomorrow to find out exactly what is going on. If there is someone living in it they will be asked to move,” he said.