Families with loved ones buried in Essington Cemetery, near Wolverhampton, are calling for urgent repair action to take place.
The former owners of the cemetery went into administration in November 2023 after they failed to keep up with loan repayments to UK Cemetery Holdings.
Since then, upkeep has fallen into the hands of the public. This has resulted in the grass overgrowing, footpaths disappearing, and rubbish piling up.
According to Administrators Resolve Advisory Ltd, a buyer has purchased the land but the sale is still in progress. No burials can go ahead until the sale has been finalised – neither can any professional clean-up get organised.
The cemetery, which opened in 2019, had planning permission for 30,000 burial and cremation plots.
Many local families purchased plots from the former owners prior to them going into administration. If families were to experience a bereavement in the near future, it is doubtful whether they could use their purchased plot at Essington Cemetery.
Families have since formed an action group in an attempt to resolve the state of disrepair that the cemetery is currently in.
“It’s put people through misery. I’ve seen an elderly lady here cutting the grass around her husband’s headstone with scissors. People just want answers. ” stated Samantha Curtis, an Essington Parish Council member. Curtis’ father is buried at Essington Cemetery.
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
