By EMILY BRIDGES

Cemetery at centre of meeting row

Frustrated Worthing residents want to see a public meeting held about the on-going vandalism at the town’s main cemetery – something promised to them in December. A meeting at Worthing Town Hall was promised by the mayor to discuss the problems at Durrington Cemetery, but residents are now getting angry because nothing has materialised.

Cemetery officials said a meeting would be held in the Findon area, and not at the town hall, after new security gates had been fitted. Residents feel that a meeting held at a central location in the town would be more effective.

In November last year 70 memorials were damaged by vandals and similar problems have been occurring at the site for many years.

Following the spate of vandalism, Worthing mayor Nick John offered resident Karen Parker, whose son is buried at the cemetery, a room at the town hall for a meeting.

Despite this promise, nothing has been arranged. The Findon Valley Society has taken up the cause saying that the vandalism is not only affecting residents who live around the cemetery, but those from all over the Worthing area who have loved ones buried there.

Chairman of the Society Leroy Bryan said: “All we hear is promises. We were told they had ordered the gates a while back and I am getting extremely frustrated. I think we will be pushing ahead with a public meeting at the town hall.

“This has been going on since Christmas and there is still vandalism going on there.”

Registrar at the cemetery Ian Rudkin said they are waiting for the new gates to arrive and then a meeting in Findon will be arranged. He said that four out of five gates will be locked at night to try to discourage the vandals.

He said: “We do not want to lock it completely. It would be a shame if we had to as there are some people who cannot get to the cemetery during the day and the evenings are the only times they can visit loved ones buried there.”

Mr Rudkin said he has been working with the police, who would like one gate at the cemetery open at night so they can walk through with their police dogs.

He also said they have planted prickly gorse and hawthorn in gaps in the perimeter hedges to deter vandals.

A meeting informing residents about the measures they have taken and possible measures for the future will not be called until the gates have been fitted, Mr Rudkin said.

Susan Smith, also a member of the Findon Valley Society, backed the idea of holding a meeting at the town hall. She said an open public meeting about the cemetery is long over-due.

“We need to be told by the cemetery about all the things that have been happening there.

“I hope that a meeting like this will bring us all closer together as a community and enable us to talk reasonably and openly about the vandalism that has been taking place at the cemetery.

“The damage just makes me want to cry. Two-thirds of the people buried at the cemetery do not have any relatives left to clear up the mess.

“If we don’t push for a meeting then it is just going to be forgotten about.”

The West Sussex Gazette tried to contact Worthing mayor Nick John for a comment on several occasions.