Grave diggers are struggling to dig new plots at cemeteries because of the size of some existing gravestones and items placed around them - a Crewe councillor said.

Cllr Joy Bratherton (Labour), said the council was at fault for letting the situation get out of hand and not ensuring people were aware of what they could and couldn't do.

The Crewe East councillor was giving the environment and communities committee an update on the consultation on Cheshire East's cemeteries strategy review.

Crewe East Labour councillor, Cllr Joy Bratherton (Cheshire East Council).

"The other piece of information in here [consultation] that I have been banging the drum about for so many years, is when people take out a plot in a cemetery they sign an agreement that they will look after that plot and they will manage that plot in a particular way – and that particular way does not include putting pots around, memorials and the likes all over the gravestone," said Cllr Bratherton. "It also includes gravestones of a certain size."

She continued: "We have graves, we have plots in all the cemeteries across the borough that are not within those bounds, and that causes problems for our staff because there are numerous occasions when they cannot get the digger to between plots if they need to dig a new plot.

"There are times when they have to remove things and then it hits the fan in the press that they've removed things, but the things are not supposed to be there in the first place."

The councillor said in the borough-wide 2022 consultation, which 421 people had responded to, some residents had said the council was not proactive enough in its 'regulatory stance'.

Crewe Cemetery, Badger Avenue (Jan Wright).

"We have said, as an Orbitas board but also in this working group, that we are prepared to put our heads above the parapet to actually make sure that, from now on, people are more aware of what they can and cannot do,"

Cllr Bratherton added the council have a responsibly to ensure that if people signed a document they abided by it.

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