A town’s graveyard has become an eyesore due to overflowing bins and lack of council care, residents have said. Oadby Cemetery on Wigston Road is busy with mourners, dog walkers, pedestrians taking shortcuts and people looking for some solitude, and its condition is cause for concern.
Peter Marsden, 56, who lives nearby and was walking his dogs in the cemetery on Friday morning, said: “The bins just aren’t emptied often enough. They’re always full of rubbish.
“Sometimes people use it as a dumping ground. I’ve seen strollers and abandoned things here in the cemetery, which is disgusting.
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“I live just across the fence and I notice a lot of beer cans in the morning after people have come in for a drink in the evening. And sometimes they push the headstones too.
“Actually it looks better than usual today. They came to mow the lawn yesterday – maybe because someone complained about it.
“Grass is usually everywhere. Advice doesn’t come enough here.”
When asked if he had complained to Oadby and Wigston Borough Council (OWBC), he replied: “I tried. It’s like banging your head against a wall.”
Another dog walker, a 77-year-old woman who did not want to be named, said: “The bins are always overflowing – they always are. I’ve phoned council several times about it.
“They just have to put in a few more bins or empty them more often. They just aren’t doing enough here to keep it enjoyable. It’s a lack of care on the council’s part.”
The issue was brought to the attention of LeicestershireLive by former borough councilor Anne Bond, who said the problem had gone on for too long. In a letter to council and local MP Neil O’Brien, she said: ‘Oadby Cemetery is once again a disgrace – overflowing bins, particularly at the Wigston Road entrance.
“I still have to chase OWBC regarding lack of hygiene, cleanliness and not emptying trash cans.”
Margaret Kind, Corporate Asset Manager at Oadby & Wigston Borough Council, said: ‘We would like to thank residents for bringing these issues to our attention and we fully appreciate how important it is to local people that our cemeteries are well cared for. We act on the feedback received and seek to resolve any issues raised. »
