TRAUMATISED mourners claim marshy conditions at a village cemetery are making it dangerous for them to visit their loved ones’ graves.

Conditions at Inchinnan Cemetery are so bad that one man fell into his brother’s grave when the ground gave way as the coffin was being lowered.

There have also been complaints about wheelchair-bound pensioners being left trapped in the mud due to the swamp-like conditions.

John Ross, chairman of Inchinnan Community Council, said the poor upkeep of the cemetery is putting people off visiting graves of family and friends.

He told the Gazette: “In order to get to a loved one, you have to walk over the wet grass as there are no footpaths between the graves.

“I had to rescue an elderly lady in a wheelchair who was screaming her heart out after getting trapped in the grass for over an hour.

“Another gentleman was helping to lower his brother’s coffin into the ground but the ground gave way and he fell into the hole with him.

“We have complained to the local authority about this countless times but they are refusing to do anything.”

Mourners have complained that graves near the bottom of the cemetery are plagued with issues.

Renfrew woman Yvonne Howat Galbraith said that, on a rainy day, she is unable to visit her parents’ graves as the cemetery becomes a quagmire.

She added: “We complained when a new grave was dug next to my parents and earth was left piled on top of their headstone. Our flowers and ornaments were also disturbed.”

David Connells, 47, from Inchinnan, has also called for Renfrewshire Council to take action.

He said: “Many people trying to pay respects to their loved ones have fallen in the quagmire caused by poor drainage.

“As soon as it’s wet, the grass turns into a marsh.

“If you’re not an able-bodied person, there is no way you can tend to your loved one’s grave, due to the state of the ground.

“In addition to this, the maintenance of the cemetery is shocking, with little regard to the small keepsakes, ornaments and floral tributes.

“I’ve visited other cemeteries in the area and none are in such a state of disrepair.”

A council spokesman said Inchinnan is one of the local authority’s older cemeteries and is close to capacity.

He added: “The area that remains to be used is at the bottom of a hill and has very poor soil conditions.

“The environmental conditions are difficult and it is hard to deal with extremely wet weather.

“When it is necessary to carry out further interments, it can also take a while for the ground to reinstate.

“We would stress that we make every effort we can to mitigate the difficult conditions. That includes regularly topping up graves, cutting back foliage and reinstating areas as soon as possible following interments in adjoining lairs.

“There isn’t the funding available to carry out a major programme of works and it would be difficult, for the reasons described, to make lasting improvements, but we are working to prevent or limit difficulties for visitors to the cemetery.”