CONCERNS have been raised over recent damage to the grass verges in the cemetery in Callington — and town councillors are now asking for public opinions and suggestions as to how to prevent ongoing problems.

Councillors were made aware of the state of the verges at the cemetery — believed to have been caused by vehicles — at a recent meeting and a discussion followed on the risk of allowing vehicles and pedestrians to mix, having no control over who enters the site and what distress could be caused to families when visiting their loved ones and potentially finding damage to their property.

The town council is now seeking public views on this matter and how to deal with it.

Town clerk Helen Dowdall said: 'There were concerns of inappropriate use of the paths at the cemetery.

'We accept that some cars are getting bigger as well as hearses and grave diggers' vehicles, but we do want people to feel they can go down there in peace.

'We welcome any thoughts on whether restricted access or a total vehicle ban is something that we should consider.'

At the moment, the cemetery can be accessed by pedestrians via a kissing gate and there is also a large gate for vehicular access, which is currently unlocked and unsupervised.

Helen said they could consider locking the large gate and only opening it by prior arrangement or booking, such as for a funeral or if contractors needed access, in an attempt to minimise damage and disruption at the site.

'Do we have it that people access it by walking only? Do we consider providing a car park for visitors to the cemetery?' asked Helen.

'We are also considering installing CCTV to cover the site or a booking system to open up the main gates for disabled access etc.

'We don't want to stop people from going down there, we just want to provide a safe and peaceful environment for people to visit.

'At the moment we have no control over who goes in there and we have no way of monitoring the site.

'There are issues that need to be considered and we would welcome any suggestions on how to deal with them.'

Anyone with any ideas or suggestions regarding the use of the cemetery can contact Callington Town Council on 01579 384039 or visit http://www.callington-tc.gov.uk">www.callington-tc.gov.uk