MSP in cemetery repairs plea
REPAIRS to a cemetery used as playground by hooligans must be a priority, an MSP has urged.
Lambhill cemetery was plagued by craters and pot holes, with yobs on motorbikes riding brazenly over graves earlier this year.
Since the Evening Times highlighted the issue Glasgow City Council’s repair teams have carried out work on site and vowed to increase safety patrols. Police confirmed they received reports of youths riding motorbikes in the area but when they went to inspect they were unable to find the culprits. However, Bob Doris, SNP MSP for Maryhill, has urged the local authority to make repairs to the area “an ongoing priority” and has contacted them voicing his concerns.
He has also called for police reassurances on tackling antisocial behaviour in the area but is yet to receive a response from local teams.
The MSP said: “I am pleased that following my representations the council has completed some patching repairs to the paths in the graveyard and are reviewing the boundary fence in order to prevent quad bikes entering the graveyard in the first place.
“However, repair and maintenance of the pathways and fence needs to be an ongoing priority.
“The police also need to ensure they use any information provided to tackle both nuisance and anti social behaviour in the graveyard.
“I would welcome some reassurances around that.”
The calls come after a pensioner was left distraught earlier this year when she discovered the final resting place for her husband had vanished.
A council spokeswoman said: “A significant amount of maintenance work has been done throughout the cemetery this year including improvements to the drainage, flooding, roads and paths and we continue, as a matter of course, to prioritise repair work within our 32 cemeteries, accordingly.” Inspector Janie Thomson-Goldie, of Maryhill police, said: “The cemetery is a priority area for local officers to patrol. We have also received additional support from specialist units, including officers from the Divisional Violence Reduction Unit.
“Their officers have been utilising trail bikes to quickly respond to reports of anti-social behaviour. We will continue to closely monitor the area.”