A CONCERNED resident has complained about the state of the grounds at the cemetery where she goes to pay her respects to her recently deceased husband.

Shirley French, 81, of Stratton, described Green Road Cemetery at Upper Stratton, as a “mess” and said it was in need of some “tender loving care”.

“When I visited the cemetery last week the grass was overgrown and the whole place was looking very sorry for itself,” she said.

“I go there a lot and it’s usually a very nice, tidy cemetery with people taking care of their own memorials. But now the grass is very long and desperately needs cutting."

Shirley's husband George died last November and she visits his grave at the cemetery frequently, usually a few times a week.

She said: "I know the pots and flowers get tipped over now and then but that's because foxes play about in the grounds, and that can't really be helped.

“But when I was there last week I saw an elderly gentleman cutting around his wife’s memorial with a pair of shears. He was quite old and shouldn’t be doing that at his age.

"I don't know if other people have raised similar concerns but I can't imagine they're too happy with the way it looks at the moment."

She added: “I don’t know what has gone wrong but the council needs to sort this out before it gets even worse.”

However, David Boase, Stratton St Margaret Parish Council’s officer for open spaces, has ensured residents that the matter has now been dealt with.

“The mowing has taken place and most of the overgrowth has been cut back, as was originally scheduled,” said David.

“We only have a small team and the recent rainfall has made the grass grow at a faster rate than usual.

“I would like to ensure all residents and those with concerns that the issues have now been resolved and if they have any further concerns to contact the parish council immediately.”

*Swindon Borough Council recently confirmed it would be stopping the funding of services such as grass cutting, street cleaning and low-level maintenance to save £5 million.

These services are due to be passed over to parish councils which will involve a raise in the precepts to fund the new services, with every household in the borough set to pay an extra £75 a year.

When the plan was first announced there was strong opposition to it with Old Town resident Colin Doubleday setting up a petition calling on a referendum which the council dismissed.