A FAMILY paying their respects to their loved ones at a cemetery in Hilperton say they were disgusted by the state of the place.

Maggie Ledbury, who lives in the village, went to lay flowers on the grave of her late mother at St Michael & All Angels and was horrified to discover overgrown grass has hidden a number of graves and cut grass has been left behind to rot.

The 62-year-old said: “We go as a family to visit five graves up there and put flowers down on birthdays and at Christmas. Recently it has become depressing for all the wrong reasons.

“Although the grass had been cut, cuttings have been left to die on top. Many old graves are no longer attended, due to their age or no family members living locally, and they are overgrown with plants and weeds.

“The waste left behind meant that you couldn’t actually see across the graveyard.

“I don’t know why this cemetery is so bad. It was so depressing to go up there.”

Mrs Ledbury, a PCSO in Melksham, hopes that recent complaints about the state of cemeteries across the county will force Wiltshire Council to take action.

She added: “The cut grass stinks, especially in the summer. They used to have a bin but they have done away with that.

“When I was a little girl there was a man that kept the cemetery immaculate and if you go to the war graves, they are so tidy.”

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “We carry out maintenance of our cemeteries on a regular basis and ensure the grass is cut every four weeks.

“The same standard is applied to cutting the grass in other public areas. This will continue to be the case throughout the growing season, regardless of when it ends.”