A NEW group is being set up to help monitor and maintain Prestonpans Cemetery following claims it has been neglected.

Prestonpans Community Council has been inundated with offers to help after it made a plea for volunteers via the Courier.

The new ‘Friends of Prestonpans Cemetery’ group will be established in the coming weeks, with the community council arranging a meeting for everyone who offered help to formally set it up.

Prestonpans Cemetery lost its permanent staff in East Lothian Council cutbacks and the community council said it had received complaints about the state of the graves and neglected grounds.

Community council treasurer Margaret Kay said: “When they took the men away we were guaranteed it would be looked after but it has not been.

“I look at Tranent and Musselburgh cemeteries and they are immaculate – it make me wonder why we are being neglected.” During last week’s community council meeting, local resident Dave Bertram told of his dismay when he visited the cemetery, where his wife was laid to rest earlier this year.

Mr Bertram said: “I spoke to a man who was there recently who said what a disgrace it was. The last few days there have been machines in sorting the headstones – it would be good if we could maintain the standard.” Other concerned residents reported people driving through the cemetery, and over graves, despite the fact vehicles are restricted for disabled access only.

One resident said: “They drive in and if there is a disabled vehicle in their way they just drive over graves to get where they want to go. It is absolutely appalling.” Councillor Willie Innes, council leader, reported that workers were being sent in to tidy up the cemetery but acknowledged that council cuts had hit amenity services, although he said new posts were now being made available.

He said: “All cemeteries across East Lothian should be of the same standard.” Community council secretary Zoe Inglis said the group had received numerous offers of help following an appeal.

She said: “We had an appeal in the Courier and have had lots of responses. I will contact those who have offered help and invited them to a meeting to discuss setting up the Friends of Prestonpans Cemetery.” East Lothian Council has pledged to work with the group to help make improvements to the cemetery and safeguard its future.

A council spokesperson said: “We have had some discussion about this and have reached an agreement to draw interested parties together to discuss options.

“The council is now looking forward to meeting with anyone interested in developing a Friends Group with a view to jointly working towards improving the cemetery, repairing and conserving headstones and perhaps tending some individual graves where there are no remaining family members available to plant flowers and clean memorial stones.

“There are a number of good examples of similar arrangements in other local authority areas and this type of approach can allow the community to directly make improvements to cemeteries that are over and above the means of the council.”