VISITORS to Haslingden's Grane Road Cemetery have welcomed a new entrance, which saves a long walk up a steep hill.

People travelling on foot to the cemetery no longer face the long hike up the Grane Road to the cemetery gates, thanks to a new way in at the bottom of the hill.

The new gateway has been completed by Groundwork Rossendale, with support from Rossendale Borough Council, the county council and the Lancashire Environment Fund.

Work began after Muslim group Masjid-e-bilal, which visits the cemetery every week, raised concerns that visitors had to travel a long way to get to see the graves of relatives.

The new entrance route was chosen after consultation with locals and now features a seating area, pillars and a small stone column bearing an Islamic prayer and artwork.

Mark Bolton, of Groundwork Rossendale, said: "The hill is quite a climb, even for relativeley fit people. Many of the visitors are elderly and have struggled to reach the old gates at the top of the hill, but, thankfully, we have been able to do the logical thing and open a new gate at the bottom end of the site.

"For anyone wanting to go to that end of the site it will save a long walk up and back."

Mazhar Hussain, 71, of the Masjid-e-bilal group, added: "It will mean a shorter journey for the people who visit the lower end of the cemetery and a place to rest for those who have to reach plots at the top of the hill.

"We have found the journey increasingly hard and our thanks go out to everyone involved in making this possible."