Fly-tipping at Southampton graveyard leaves mourners disgusted

A woman has called for action after fly-tippers dumped a large pile of waste at a cemetery where her relatives are buried.

Kelly Harryman was visiting the grave of her brother-in-law at St Mary’s Extra Cemetery in Sholing, Southampton, when she saw the rubbish last week.

She has urged Southampton City Council to introduce cameras to prevent future incidents at the site where her grandparents were also laid to rest.

The council said its teams were working to clear the waste but it had no plans to introduce CCTV.

Harryman said: “I just felt so sorry for everyone’s loved ones. A lot of my friends have loved ones there as well.

“A good friend of mine’s seven-year-old boy is there and she doesn’t want to be seeing that when she visits him.

“He’s there to be laid in peace – not to have big trucks coming through with garbage.”

Harryman, who has been visiting the cemetery since she was a child, said CCTV would help deter fly-tippers.

She continued: “The council says it won’t use cameras because that’s invading people’s privacy, but if it’s on the gates outside it’s not really doing that.

“I think people would rather have cameras than lots of rubbish being dumped.”

Councillor John Savage, cabinet member for environment at the city council, said: “Fly-tipping has a huge impact on those that come to grieve and I understand why people feel so strongly about it. It is a lazy and disgusting act.

“I understand people are asking for CCTV cameras to be installed, but due to the sensitive nature and environment of the location, CCTV throughout the cemetery would not be appropriate as it would impose on those grieving.

“This is something cemetery staff and Southampton City Council will continue to monitor.

“In the meantime, I am deeply sorry for any upset caused and would like to encourage people to continue to report fly-tipping crimes via our website.”