Cemetery in 'disgraceful' condition

DISGRACE . . . John Ryan, from Royton, at Chadderton Cemetery

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THE state of Chadderton Cemetery has been labelled "a disgrace" after residents found their relatives' graves flooded.

Complaints have been made to Oldham Council about drainage issues and potholes.

Resident John Ryan (51) was so frustrated by the lack of maintenance that he launched a Friends of Chadderton Cemetery group to carry out improvements.

Oldham Council said the cemetery is "important" and that it will take into account the reported flooding and look to invest in improvements "at the earliest opportunity".

Mr Ryan, who visits his mother's grave every day, said: "They have let the cemetery fall into disrepair. There is a real lack of maintenance. It is very hard to get through the main gate without hitting any large potholes.

"The roads are flooded and so are the graves. The drains have not been cleaned out for years.

"I have had to keep contacting Oldham Council and the cemetery office, but they are doing nothing. It is a disgrace."

Mr Ryan, of Royton, said there are about 12 graves affected by overflowing drains, and visits every day with a bucket of shingle to fill in the large potholes.

He said: "I have filled in 20 potholes the last two weeks. These are not little dents in the road - some holes are over 2ft wide. They could damage vehicles."

To improve the situation he launched Friends of Chadderton Cemetery Facebook group.

Mr Ryan said: "I'm hoping I can get people together once a month to do a clean-up and hopefully shake the council up into spending a few pounds.

"It is terrible to let a place of rest fall into such disrepair."

Beverley Dalby (53), of Long Lane, Chadderton, said the Facebook group was "a good idea", but raised concerns over a lack of council support if the work was all done by residents.

Mrs Dalby, who visits her mother, father and former husband's graves, said: "It is an absolute eyesore. My mother's grave has sunk about four inches in the middle. My husband's headstone is leaning to one side.

"It seems to be really badly maintained."

She also claimed she could not take her son, who is in a wheelchair, to visit the graves because of the water on the road.

Councillor Fida Hussain, cabinet member for environment services, said: "We recognise and truly appreciate how important our cemeteries are to residents. They are also very important to us.

"The work required to resolve all the drainage issues that we face across the borough is extensive and costly.

"We will take into consideration the reported flooding at Chadderton Cemetery and look to invest in improvements at the earliest opportunity."