The council is planning to clean up its graves.

Those owning cemetery plots across the borough are being asked to make sure items are secure and obviously attached to a specific grave before the beginning of next month.

Swale council and its maintenance contractor will be clearing disused and broken items in an effort to make their cemeteries tidier. These are Halfway on Sheppey, Bell Road and Capel Road in Sittingbourne and next to Murston church.

Emma Wiggins, interim director of regeneration at the council, said: “With the existing cemeteries at Sittingbourne and Sheppey nearly full to capacity, the task of maintaining the grass, trees and pathways is getting increasingly more difficult.

“We recognise that residents will have personal preferences as to how they remember their loved ones, however items left on graves can cause problems for the maintenance teams and also sometimes pose a risk to others – such as glass, flammable materials, matches, lighters and vessels of alcohol.

“Items should always be placed within the boundary of the grave and secured as much as possible as wind, animals and, unfortunately, vandals all contribute to items being spread around the cemetery, which makes it difficult to work out ownership and can often lead to breakages.”

Dangerous items will be removed and stored at the offices for six months before being thrown away – call the cemetery office on 01795 417452 to check if items are being stored there.

The council is also reviewing its service and will issue new guidelines for grave items, arrangements and memorials later this year.

To find out more, call the cemetery and burials team on 01795 417312.