“WHAT a sacrilege.”

That is how relatives have described truckloads of rubbish dumped beside the graves of their loved ones.

Mourners have also branded the eyesore “disgusting and disrespectful”.

It is thought a fly-tipper, who started using the sacred space behind a Southampton church as a dumping ground in April, has been back up to ten times with junk from house clearances.

Among the bricks, mattresses, old tyres and rubbish there are people’s most precious keepsakes including delicate glasses, wedding photos and portraits dating back to the 1950s.

Now both Southampton City Council and the church have been forced to put up posts to stop the tipper.

Martin Petch, churchwarden at Holy Trinity Church in Millbrook, believes the fly-tipper has disrespected the church and the community.

Mr Petch, of Regents Park, said: “People visiting the graves of loved ones in Millbrook cemetery are shocked at the mess. ‘What a sacrilege!’ one was heard to say, and quite right too. To dump rubbish next to a cemetery is the lowest of the low. It is supposed to be a sacred place and it looks like a dump.

For relatives to see a pile of rubbish from people’s house clearances is really dreadful.”

The church will have to pay out thousands of pounds to clear the junk this week.

Colin Carter, 41, a Southampton City Council worker who has tidied the city’s cemeteries for five years, said: “We work hard to make the cemetery look nice so people can pay tribute to loved ones.

This is disgusting and disrespectful.”

Southampton City Council has spent more than £2,000 putting up gates and posts at the city’s three worst fly-tipping spots including the church, Vermont Close in Bassett and at the rugby club off Lower Brownhill Road.

Councillor Royston Smith, Cabinet member for economic development, said: “Fly-tippers destroy and ruin beauty spots across the city. Make no mistake, if we find anyone fly-tipping in Southampton we will prosecute them.”

To report fly-tipping phone Actionline on 0800 519 19 19.

■ A 35-year-old man is due to appear at Southampton Magistrates’ Court tomorrow charged with four counts of fly-tipping across the city.