COMPLAINTS about the poor state of Bovey Tracey cemetery have been addressed by the town council.

Gabi Morse said she was ‘appalled’ by its general condition when she visited the grave of a family member over Christmas.

She said it appeared there had been a complete ‘lack of care’ after finding road signs and barriers stored within the cemetery, bins overflowing and tyre tracks along graves.

Bovey Tracey town clerk Mark Wells apologised and said while the town council takes pride in the upkeep and maintenance of the cemetery and receives many compliments from visitors, it had clearly ‘fallen short’ of standards expected.

However, since the response, Gabi says while she understands the points, she believes it is not ‘acceptable’ for a cemetery to be used the store road signs.

She said: ‘These actions show a complete lack of respect for the cemetery.

‘I must also point out the town council should be inspecting the cemetery, both regularly and after works have been carried out.

‘I have visited the cemetery for the last 38 years and the standard of care at present is not what it once was.’

Mr Wells said December’s stormy weather meant the council’s grounds maintenance team had been tackling fallen trees and flooding as a priority.

He said: ‘We sincerely apologise for the condition of the cemetery at the time of your visit and for any distress this may have caused.

‘Please rest assured we take these matters very seriously and are committed to addressing them promptly.’

Gabi said when she visited, she saw road signs and barriers spread across one of the graves.

She told the Mid Devon Advertiser: ‘One of the signs, unceremoniously dumped upon a grave, states: “Warning cats eyes removed”.

‘It is disgraceful the town council treat the cemetery as a dumping ground in this way.

‘Also evident was a set of tyre tracks where a vehicle has been driven along a footpath, with the result the vehicle’s tyres have run up alongside graves.

‘Plastic flowers were blown across the site and the overall impression was one was of a complete lack of care.

‘The cemetery is also the location of Commonwealth War Graves and for Bovey Tracey Town Council to allow this to happen is disgraceful.’

Mr Wells explained road signs were normally kept in the cemetery store.

But in December, a contractor had late availability to replace its broken roof which meant the contents were removed.

He said: ‘These should not have encroached on to any memorials and I will address this with the contractor and ensure these are removed and restored as a matter of urgency.

‘In relation to the tyre tracks, it is likely these belong to either the contractor who cut the hedge in December or a Monumental Mason who had removed a memorial in that location just prior to Christmas.

‘I don’t believe either vehicle encroached on to any burial plots, however I will instruct both contractors to keep to the bench side of the path in future.

‘The storms in December caused a number of issues in Bovey Tracey, and our grounds maintenance staff were asked to prioritise issues where there was a resulting risk to public safety.’