Councillor hits out over rubbish dumped in Pleasington Cemetery

The rubbish made up of clothes and blankets was found on the side of a path in Pleasington Cemetery on Monday.

Cllr Tiger Patel said he attends the cemetery almost every morning to visit the grave of his father.

As he made his way between the old and the new Muslim section, he spotted the rubbish right next to the path.

Cllr Tiger Patel said: “This is not nice at all.

“I visit almost every day with a friend of mine, and we came across this rubbish.  I am not sure why anyone would do this.

“They should go to the recycling centre, and some of these items could be recycled.

“This is right next to where people walk to visit their loved ones.

“There are even bins here for people to use, but it appears this was just thrown from a passing car.

“It is blankets, shoes and also an old purse.

“It is in the non-Muslim section, and I found this to be really disrespectful and disgusting to be doing this.”

People walking through Witton Park and Pleasington tend to also make their way through the cemetery. It is a popular route for dog walkers and also for people on treks through the woodland.

Cllr Patel said volunteers worked hard to maintain the grave sites.

“When you come here Sunday, there are people cleaning the grave sites and also picking up any rubbish.

“People need to be more respectful when they visit any grave area, and this is unacceptable.”

The cemetery is maintained by the council

According to Blackburn with Darwen rulings, "if the rubbish can be removed with one person and a litter picker, then this is not classed as fly tipping".

The council said it will investigate fly-tipping if reported.

The council website adds: “You can report fly tipping online, however if further action is required then we may need to contact you to discuss the offence further.”