Mourners miss out on funerals amid one-way system chaos

A ONE-WAY system introduced to encourage social distancing in a Hertfordshire town has led to mourners missing funeral receptions after getting lost in back streets or being forced on to a dual carriageway.

What was once a short trip from the cemetery in Ware to the town’s church and high street has become a “circuitous route” on residential roads or on the busy A10 after Hertfordshire county council introduced a one-way system.

Local residents have reported their cars being dented and scratched as motorists try to weave their way through back roads.

The Rev Ysmena Pentelow, of Ware’s St Mary’s church, said a recent funeral saw mourners, many of whom were from outside of the county, struggle to navigate their way from the cemetery in the north of the town to Ware Priory, a Grade I listed venue used for weddings and funeral receptions, for afterservice drinks.

“The way the traffic restrictions have been put in place is having an impact on the local community,” she said. “Sat navs may not know about the road closures, which can add to the confusion.”

Alexander Curtis, the mayor of Ware, said: “As far as I’m concerned the council is anti-car.”

A spokesman for the National Association of Funeral Directors said: “Funerals can be times of great stress and mourners do not want to go unnecessarily out of their way or be stuck in a one-way system while on their way to or from a service, especially if it involves detours around unfamiliar roads and people getting lost.”

A spokesman for Hertfordshire county council said the one-way system was introduced to allow more space for pedestrians to social distance.

She added: “We have been reviewing the measures rolled out in Ware, taking account of the comments and feedback that we have received from local residents and businesses.”