THE way in which Westbury Cemetery was left overgrown for so long was disrespectful, says a father who was disgusted at the state of the grounds when he visited his father-in-law’s grave for Father’s Day.

Tony Raddon, of Bramble Drive, Westbury, was shocked at how long the grass at the cemetery had grown when he and his wife visited latest Friday, and said he even had trouble getting to the grave itself.

Mr Raddon, 68, who works as a gardener said: “It was very upsetting when me and my wife came up here for Father’s Day to visit her dad’s grave. The grass was up to knee height and the paths were covered.

“We are relieved that the grass has now been cut, but we don’t want it to get this bad again, it is disrespectful in a place like this.

“The council have given many excuses for not cutting the grass regularly, such as the weather, budget cuts and a shortage of staff.

“This is something that shouldn’t have been cut in the budget, it should be kept nice here, especially for occasions such as Father’s Day when a lot of people visit.

“It used to be pleasant here, or as pleasant as a cemetery can be, but the maintenance has fallen.

“We are still paying the council the same, so we should expect to see the cemetery kept nice.

“As a gardener myself, it is very frustrating to see it so overgrown, and it should be cut at least once a month during the summer so it doesn’t get in that sort of state again.”

Other residents who are pleased that the grass how now been cut, but are unhappy with the maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery expressed their views on social media.

Deb Samways commented: “About time! It was getting disgustingly long. The firm who are supposed to be doing the contract get paid millions to do regularly so should do it.”

Shona Dredge commented: “Thank goodness, I’ve never seen it as bad - disgusting!”

A spokesman from Wiltshire Council said: “We have a regular schedule to cut the grass. In response to the gentleman’s concerns we asked our contractors to rearrange this week’s work so they could attend a few days early.

“Grass grows extremely quickly at this time of year and we’re sorry for any distress this caused the gentleman who was visiting the cemetery.”