Daughter’s tears over lock-out on Father’s Day visit to her dad’s grave
COUNCIL HAS OFFERED ITS ‘SINCERE APOLOGIES’
A DERBY woman says she was reduced to tears when she could not visit her dad’s grave on Father’s Day because the main cemetery gates were locked during opening hours.
Ingrid Marchbank was unable to put flowers on her father’s grave last Sunday, June 19, due to the entrance at the Uttoxeter New Road cemetery being locked. She had to walk back to her car with the flowers, feeling heartbroken.
Derby City Council has apologised to Mrs Marchbank for the incident. And the council has vowed to get security staff and public protection officers to carry out regular checks to ensure the cemetery is open to the public during normal visiting times.
Mrs Marchbank, who works in admin for the NHS, said she cried on Sunday morning as she found the whole experience so upsetting.
Her dad, Malcolm Newman, died in May last year and a visit to his grave and ashes memorial on Father’s Day was planned to mark the day.
The Littleover resident told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It was about 10.30am, not too early, when I got there and there was a chain around the gates and I couldn’t get in. I walked all the way down to see if I could find somebody but there was nobody there.
“It left me really upset, it made me cry. I just wanted to put some flowers there. I looked on the internet and it should have been open from 9.30am. Going back home was very disappointing.”
According to Derby City Council’s website, all cemetery grounds are open every day, including bank holidays, between 9am and 7.30pm. The hours change slightly between November and March due to it being the winter season.
In a statement the city council said it was now in discussions with the owner of the residential property at the site to ensure the cemetery is accessible to the public during opening hours. A spokesperson for
Derby City Council said: “We have been in contact with Mrs Marchbank this morning (Thursday) to offer our sincere apologies.
“Derby City Council do not own the residential property and we have been in discussions with the property owner to ensure that access is maintained to the council-owned cemetery for visitors and our grounds maintenance team who maintain the grounds.
“Council security staff and public protection officers will be regularly visiting the site to ensure the gates remain open.”
Mrs Marchbank also raised deep concerns over the state of the cemetery, describing the route to get to her family’s graves as “dangerous”. The Local Democracy Reporter almost tripped on the overgrown area as he walked to the area.
However, while filming a short video of Mrs Marchbank walking to the overgrown area, a Derby City Council worker offered to cut and tidy the area as soon as possible.
She said: “There are some areas that are just so overgrown. It’s not nice the way it has been left in. We’ve even had to cut the grass back ourselves sometimes. I find it disrespectful; the council should be looking after it.”
There have been recent complaints that the cemetery was strewn with litter, broken toilets and broken seating. There were also toppled headstones and some which were hidden by foliage.
It was also reported how a new resident of the site, Rashpal Lal, vowed to improve the cemetery’s appearance. Rashpal and his wife bought the former council-owned three-bedroom house for £200,000 last year with the aim of turning it into a community centre.
Sam Dennis, director of public protection and streetpride at Derby City Council, previously said: “We are saddened to see the damage and offensive graffiti at the Uttoxeter New Road Cemetery. Cemeteries are places where our residents should be able to reflect and remember their loved ones peacefully and this anti-social behaviour is unacceptable.
“We have increased public protection officer patrols at the site to deter any anti-social behaviour. And the cleansing team will support bereavement services with clearing the site.”
When I got there, there was a chain around the gates. It left me really upset.