LOVED ones visiting cemeteries are going to have to stick to rules about where they can place flowers, according to Gravesham Council.

The council claims the two Gravesham cemeteries are a health and safety risk because flowers are strewn everywhere and paths have become blocked.

According to cemetery rules and regulations, families should not place flowers more than 9ins from a headstone.

At an executive committee meeting at Gravesham Council, councillors agreed rules and regulations should be "re-affirmed" as part of a performance improvement plan.

The aim of the plan is to improve the visual appearance of the cemeteries in Old Road West, Gravesend and Springhead Road, Northfleet.

Gravesham Council is also spending £110,000 on refurbishing the 19th century listed chapel and cemetery lodge at Gravesend cemetery which both have peeling paintwork and other structural problems.

Work has started on the chapel which should be completed in the spring.

Refurbishment of the cemetery lodge, which is the cemetery office, should begin soon.

A council spokesman said: "Gravesham Council has not come up with new cemetery rules."

She added: "We want to re-affirm the existing rules and regulations because the number of flowers and other items in grave spaces has got out of hand.

"This has led to paths getting blocked and it has been difficult for grass cutting and other ground maintenance activities.

"There is a premium on space and we want to keep the cemeteries looking attractive and improve the service we provide."

She explained the reason the performance improvement plan is being implemented now is because the responsibility of looking after the cemeteries has been transferred from Gravesham services, which deals with maintenance, to leisure services.

December 10, 2001 16:22

Emma Coutts-Wood