Residents' outrage over Coatbridge cemetery's overgrown conditions

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Relatives tending to graves at a Coatbridge cemetery have hit out at its overgrown condition and are demanding action after making their own moves to tame the weeds and grass.Councillors say they have had “a number of complaints” about the appearance of Old Monkland cemetery – with some visitors taking their own gardening equipment and even resorting to using scissors to improve the environment.North Lanarkshire officials say that poor weather plus “high levels of growth” have both impacted the Kirkshaws graveyard this year, but that additional resources are being put into its maintenance and that visitors will soon see improvements.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android Coatbridge resident Ernie Rea told how he was “shocked” by the condition of the cemetery when he was able to visit for the first time in several weeks after recovering from surgery, and spoke of “the lack of respect shown to families and the graves of their loved ones”.He said: “The difference [in that time] was shocking – there were family members visibly weeding in and around headstones, and some weeds and nettles were three feet in height.” Ernie was joined on a visit to the Woodside Street cemetery by Coatbridge North councillor Alex McVey, who even measured the size of some of the unwanted grass and weeds near headstones.