FLY-tippers who dumped a large amount of building materials close to war graves in a cemetery have been branded ‘mindless’.

The material, including cement, wood, tyres and an electric fire is believed to have been left overnight last Thursday at Blackburn Old Cemetery, Whalley New Road.

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The cemetery has a vibrant ‘friends’ group, who for several years have improved the area, clearing dozens of overgrown graves and making the area more attractive for visitors.

Vice chairman of the group, Steve Riley, said: “It’s a real mess, too much for us to clear up easily.

“We believe the people who did this may have come through the back gate of the cemetery as the lock had been broken.

“It’s so frustrating and mindless, it’s free to dispose of stuff like this at a tip.

“To me it would be more effort to dump it here.”

Alan Taylor, a market trader on Blackburn Market, has for several months been improving the condition of Commonwealth war graves at the site on a volunteer basis.

He said: “I was appalled when I saw what a mess had been made.

“Where it is is actually on a grave and close to several war graves.

“There are 236 war graves that we know of at the cemetery.

“Every right minded person in this town is proud of that and remembers their sacrifice.

“These people need to be ashamed of themselves.”

Nearby resident, Hayley Graham, said: “I feel disgusted and embarrassed.

“What is going through peoples minds?

“How disrespectful to those who lay at rest there and the families of those passed.”

Jason Walker is also a volunteer with the friends group.

He said: “Between Thursday and Friday a large amount of waste has been dumped.

“The discovery was made by a volunteer who was working in the cemetery cleaning graves, with other numerous reports from dog walkers the very next day. The flytipping has been reported to the police and the council.

“The cemetery volunteer group have been doing an amazing job keeping the site clean and tidy, but this recent act of anti-social behaviour is just very upsetting. I cannot understand the mentality or in this case lack of it of people who fly tip.

“They would have to have transport to dump it where they have done.”