Upset over ‘overgrown’ cemetery
CONCERNS over the upkeep of Duke Street Cemetery have been raised by Southport radio presenter Trevor Ford.
The Mighty Southport radio host wanted to take his children to see the gravestone of their great-grandfather in the cemetery, but said the poor condition and overgrown grass made it too difficult to find.
The 46-year-old said: “My children were talk- ing about people who have passed away and my grandfather is in the cemetery so I wanted to go and show them where he’s buried.
“It’s hard to find anything in there, the middle section, it’s completely overgrown. It’s a disgrace, I couldn’t even find it.
“It looks like the more modern graves are being looked after and not the old ones.
“I don’t know if you have to pay to maintain them but I can imagine it’s up to the council.
“I happened to drive past cemeteries on Liverpool Road and they’re in pristine condition.”
The presenter says the cemetery has been in a bad condition for the last few months.
A spokesman for Sefton Council said: “Some of the older parts of Duke Street Cemetery were converted to ‘meadow’ sections a number of years ago and these are clearly signposted throughout the site.
“The meadow areas flowered earlier than normal this year and as a result appear more like grass during these later months.
“Our contractor will be tending to the site during the next few weeks.”
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