OUT-of-control weeds reduced a pensioner to tears during a visit to her late husband's grave in Brentwood – prompting her son-in-law to fume that "discipline and respect are now a thing of the past".
Widow Joan Newsome, 82, wept when she saw the state of Gerald Newsome's final resting place in the Brentwood Borough Council-owned London Road cemetery.
According to her son-in law, Robert Jones, Mr Newsome's grave was surrounded by weeds and foot high grass which he said made the area look more like a "wild meadow" than a graveyard.
Mr Jones was also upset to find grass cuttings strewn over several of the graves during his visit on May 15.
Besides his father-in-law, Mr Jones' mother Anne, and sister, Linda, are buried at the cemetery, as is his wife Gillian's uncle, John.
Mr Jones, 59, who was born and bred in Brentwood, but moved to Suffolk last year, said: "It is obvious that the council staff had not been careful and had used a strimmer to cut the grass – not a traditional lawnmower."
He said that he had also found the graves covered with grass cuttings during a previous visit in September 2012.
"Why is this cemetery being left in this state?" he asked.
"Surely the local council have a responsibility to keep these areas tidy?
"I understand that discipline and respect are now a thing of the past, but surely the local council should at least respect the dead."
Mr Jones' sister-in-law Beverley Morris, 46, said: "My mum Joan was in tears when she went down there.
"The grass was so overgrown you couldn't see the stones – the place had just been left to go to rack and ruin.
"Apart from anything else the strimmer blades keep damaging the headstones."
Beverley's mother Joan, who lives in Pilgrims Hatch, has a space in the same plot as her late husband.
Mrs Morris added: "The water pipe has not been connected so you have to take your own water which is not ideal for pensioners having to get there on the bus.
"My brother Robert was down again on May 15 and again it was obvious they had used the strimmer – it was just shabbily done.
"It seems there is no pride anymore and it is very upsetting for those relatives who want to go down to visit their loved ones."
Councillor Keith Parker, the council's spokesman for environment and parking, said: "We are very aware of the need to keep the cemetery in a tidy and cared-for condition so that people visiting graves feel that it is a respectful environment.
"We cut the grass as frequently as our resources allow but there are occasions when it gets longer than we would like, often because our staff time is taken away from maintenance to deal with burials.
"We do also try to keep grass cuttings off graves and headstones but sometimes the wind blows the cuttings around.
"We inspected the cemetery on Thursday and will be keeping a careful eye on this matter."
