Southampton City Council cut grass at Hollybrook Cemetery after campaign

Yesterday council staff moved in to carry out work on the graveyards following weeks of complaints from grieving families.

The work comes after the Daily Echo highlighted pleas for action from relatives and friends of those buried at Hollybrook Cemetery in Tremona Road and South Stoneham Cemetery in Swaythling.

Relatives said the council should be ashamed after allowing 2ft long grass to grow around the graves.

Southampton City Council which maintains the plots, told the Daily Echo that keeping the grass cut was a “challenge” at this time of year.

But yesterday grass cutters moved in to tidy up the Hollybrook graveyard.

But residents say it’s not enough.

Donald and Jean Marsh, retirees from Romsey, visited Jean’s parents’ grave after the workmen had left.

The great-grandparents of nine have been visiting the cemetery since her mother passed away in 1950.

Mrs Marsh said: “I was pleased to see they’d done something, but wouldn’t it be nice if they had just raked the cut grass?

“I was sorry to see the man who looked after the cemetery leave.

When he was here I could speak most highly of this cemetery.”

Julie Fitzgerald, 45, a hairdresser from Shirley, Southampton, has been visiting the cemetery since her father passed away in 1974.

She said: “It’s not a lot better now the grass has been cut. The graveyard had gone really downhill.”

Steve Plumridge, 47, below, a stores person from Walnut Grove, Millbrook, Southampton, visits the grave of his partner’s father Leonard Knight.

He said he was “disgusted” that the cut grass had not been removed.

He added: “I’m not going to stop complaining to the council until it’s in stone that the graveyards will never be left in this state again.

“I want a personal apology to everybody who visits this cemetery.

“The council have neglected their responsibilities towards this graveyard.”

Southampton City Council was unavailable for comment.