A woman who travelled to Dundee to visit her mum’s grave said she was left “heartbroken” to find the cemetery in an “overgrown mess”.
Valerie Houston, who lives in Ayrshire, came to the city for a three-day trip to pay her respects to her late mother, Mina Pearson Houston, on the 49th anniversary of her burial.
However, Valerie was left heartbroken when she found the graveside at Western Cemetery was inaccessible due to unmaintained tall grass.
“I couldn’t even reach her grave to lay the flowers I’d brought,” said Valerie.
“I’m heartbroken. It was such a mess.
“Tombstones had fallen over and the grass was knee high.”
Western grave shock
Valerie was visiting her mum’s old home with granddaughter Brittany to honour the anniversary.
“I try to go through twice a year from Ayrshire to see her, but I haven’t been able to visit since the start of Covid-19,” she said.
The day was already emotional for Valerie, after waiting so long to visit.
However, the sight of the Western Cemetery grave was so upsetting it brought her to tears.
“We were meant to stay until Wednesday but we went straight to the hotel and checked out,” Valerie said.
“The day was gone.
“The whole thing was so upsetting.”
‘They think people don’t care’
Ms Houston had brought a cross made by her grandson to leave at the graveside.
However she has limited mobility and was unable to leave the pathway due to the weeds.
“It’s an older part of the graveyard so there aren’t a lot of living relatives left so they [the council] think people don’t care,” Valerie said.
“But that’s my mum under those weeds.
“If they blame the pandemic, it makes no sense.
“There’s no reason why grass cutters couldn’t be out there in the fresh air, far apart. It makes no sense.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “We are now reaching the peak of the growing season, and after a recent dry hot spell of weather, grass is growing at its most vigorous rate.
“Our teams are working hard to carry out the required grass cutting and other grounds maintenance services in Dundee’s cemeteries and around the city.
“The council’s bereavement services have the responsibility of maintaining a safe environment within the city’s cemeteries, this can include laying headstones flat in the event that they may be unsafe.
“We would be grateful for the public’s patience at this time and ask them to please raise any concerns they may have directly with the council in the future.”