Father pleads for rubbish removal near son's grave

A father says he had been appealing for Adur District Council to remove piles of gardening rubbish near his teenage son's grave for three years before it was cleared.
Paul Heward has been trying to get the tip removed for three years Q2HTufqjWn-jHs0MOgjiPaul Heward has been trying to get the tip removed for three years Q2HTufqjWn-jHs0MOgji
Paul Heward has been trying to get the tip removed for three years Q2HTufqjWn-jHs0MOgji

Paul Heward, 57, has been visiting his son’s grave at Southwick Cemetery, in Downsway, Southwick, for a number of years, and first noticed the growing pile of soil three years ago.

Mr Heward said this had developed into a rubbish pile, which has only just been cleared by the council, and had become an eyesore for people visiting nearby graves, including that of his son Tom, who died aged 17.

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He said: “I think this was dug because it was next to the cemetery, but people have been using it as a rubbish tip.

“There are rubbish bins, but they are up at the top of the hill where no one goes.

“For three years the pile was there and it got worse as more stuff was being dumped on top, and no one was using the bins.

“No one should have to see that near where their son is buried.

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“I would like to see the pile relocated to a place in the cemetery, away from the graves.”

Mr Heward had previously been in touch with the council before the environmental department had removed the piles.

He added: “It looks like somebody has been on long term sickness. Ideally I need to explain that the pile was created on a temporary basis from soil from graves that had been dug, but that gave people the green light to dump everything else on top of it.

“The best outcome would be to move the storage away from the graves and return it back to grass.”

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Andy Edwards, head of environment for Adur and Worthing councils said: “The pile of r​​ubbish was removed earlier this week, ​after receiving a call from the father.

“We ​​apologise for any distress caused and will ensure that our staff do not store gardening waste there in the future.​”

The cemetery is open from 8am until 8pm or dusk Monday to Saturday, and 10am on Sunday.

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