WORCESTER City Council is set to tidy up the cemetery at St John’s following a complaint by one of its members.

Alan Amos, who represents the Bedwardine ward on the council, said that the grass has not been cut in the cemetery off McIntyre Road for the past month.

But after the Worcester News intervened, the council said it would be attending to the matter “very shortly”.

He said: “I have raised this matter at the very highest level at the city council over recent weeks but there has been no maintenance of the grounds for some four weeks, and this is the height of the growing season.

“Indeed, the grass and weeds are now so overgrown that you can’t even see some of the graves.

“This is going to make it extraordinarily difficult when they do start some maintenance.

“People have resorted to doing their own cut-backs which have made the cemetery look very haphazard and disorganized with boundaries often not being respected.

“This is completely unacceptable as there is no need or excuse for it. Maintaining a cemetery is a basic function of the council.

“It is absolutely appalling that resources are not being put in to maintain it in the tip-top condition it deserves, especially when the council always manages to find money for gypsies and vagrants who get immediate help all the time, yet cannot look after and show respect for the departed.”

After the Worcester News contacted Worcester City Council, it released a statement saying: “We would like to apologise for any unintended upset caused to visitors to the cemetery and offer reassurance that we do take complaints about the state of our cemeteries very seriously.

“We are now bringing in additional resources without delay. Visitors to our cemeteries will begin to see improvements very shortly.”