A distressed elderly couple were unable to gain entry to a cemetery after travelling a long distance to lay flowers on a grave.

Dennis Garland was parked near Willesborough cemetery on Sunday when he was approached by the pair asking how they could get into the nearby graveyard as the gates were padlocked.

He said: “I was unable to help them although someone else had told them it was possible to get in through a gap in the fence.

“But I think the council closed all the gaps and kept the pedestrian gate at the far side locked because of vandalism.

“The couple accepted that should be done but went off to check the perimeter fences in the hope that they could somehow gain access as they wanted to put the flowers on a grave.

“They expected the cemetery to be open at midday on a Sunday to allow them in.”

He called Cllr Sue Heaton and was told she didn’t know why the gates were locked and would attempt to contact the council out-of-hours staff.

Mr Garland checked the gates again at 4pm and found they had been opened.

He said: “I do hope those people managed to gain access and to lay those flowers on the grave.

“Is it not possible for the council to have some arrangement whereby staff confirm cemetery gates have been unlocked each day so that a supervisor can deal with problems before they inconvenience grieving relatives?”

Cllr Heaton, said: “I was rung by neighbour Dennis on Sunday and contacted the civic centre where the Superintendent told me he would see what he could do.

“I went round to the Rectory and informed the Rector’s wife that if anyone called because the gates were still locked I had informed the appropriate contact.”

Ashford borough council spokesman Graham Clifford, said: “We would like to apologise for an oversight that meant that the main gate to Willesborough Cemetery was locked on Sunday.

“We are investigating this matter with our contractors, who undertake management of cemeteries on our behalf.”