Confusion over who is responsible for the upkeep of Tenby's Old Cemetery has led to the state of the burial ground being called 'disgraceful' and likened to a wildlife park, by a local councillor.

The matter was discussed at Tuesday night's meeting of the town council, when the town clerk, Mr. Andrew Davies, explained that he had received several letters from a Mr. Les Nixon, of Llanddewi Velfrey, who attended the cemetery back in January and was appalled by the overall condition that he discovered and as a result wrote to the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC) expressing his deep concern.

"The CWGC have since furnished me with precise details of how to find the memorials of casualties not commemorated with the distinctive CWGC headstones, but it is telling that to direct me to a particular grave or memorial they needed to set out how many paces along a compass point I must stride out as if I were searching for buried treasure in a Robert Louis Stevenson novel rather than a memorial to someone who died for their country," wrote Mr. Nixon.

"Communities in villages and towns across Europe, in conjunction with CWGC, go to great lengths to ensure that British and Commonwealth casualties in two worlds wars are afforded the respect their sacrifice deserves.

"It is a pity that those who died in Tenby or whose bodies were repatriated to the town are not equally respected," he added.

Explaining the background in relation to the Commonwealth War Graves in Tenby's (St. Mary's Church) Old Cemetery to councillors, the clerk, Mr. Davies, said that Tenby Town Council entered into a maintenance agreement back in 1983 with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to tend 15 of the 34 war graves situated in the burial grounds, but the Commission currently records the remaining 19 war graves as maintained by relatives.

"The war graves are not located in one spot, but 'dotted' around the Old Cemetery, and as I explained to Mr. Nixon, the town council only has access to the Old Cemetery for maintenance of the war graves and overall maintenance of the cemetery rests with the church," commented Mr. Davies, who went on to say that he had contacted the council's contractor for the site, to remind him of the standards required by the Commission.

As a result, he had subsequently visited the Old Cemetery and strimmed around 25 of the war graves and also strimmed access walkways from the main paths to each of the graves and had undertaken to continue to do this as part of his existing contract.

"The church rector has subsequently responded that, if Mr. Nixon wishes to discuss the church's position as to the maintenance of the cemetery, then he should correspond directly with them, while the War Graves Commission have indicated that they may consider an increase in the contribution (a small payment of £3.50 per grave per annum is currently paid to the town council) should the council undertake to maintain all 34 graves, but I do not believe this would address all of the concerns raised by Mr. Nixon," he continued.

"It should also be noted that some of the distinctive Portland stone war grave markers are contained within family plots, and while I appreciate Mr. Nixon's concerns, I do not see what more we can do, as the town council and our contractor have no authority for the maintenance of the rest of the Old Cemetery," added Mr. Davies, stating that he had forwarded Mr. Nixon's original letter to the Parochial Church Council (PCC).

Clr. Paul Rapi agreed that concerns regarding the state of the cemetery needed to be addressed.

"It's a bone of contention this one, it appears the church's Old Cemetery has been left to go to rack and ruin and it's a mess," he remarked.

"I've been to visit graves from my own family up there and had to wade through all the bramble; it seems like it's been turned into a wildlife garden.

"They've tried to strim and grind around the graves and chipped and ripped the place apart.

"It's disgraceful and it's not right for the town of Tenby, but surely it comes down to the church's responsibility.

"I'd go as far to say that it's the worst cemetery in the whole of Great Britain," added Clr. Rapi.

Councillors agreed that the town council would be happy to enter into a conversation with the Parochial Church Council to ask what they considered doing about improving the situation regarding the state of the cemetery, with Clr. Mrs. Sue Lane and Clr. Lawrence Blackhall both calling for a site meeting to take place next month.