Graveyard sheep spark church row
- added June 18, 2008
- 0 responses
Sheep being used by a church in East Sussex to tend the grass in its graveyard have led some relatives to accuse the authorities of disrespect.
St Mary's Church, in Tarring Neville, near Newhaven, has brought in the two ewes and two lambs to keep the grass short during the summer months.
But families of the deceased claim the sheep are not under control, are eating floral tributes and walking on graves.
The church said it had consulted on the use of the sheep, and many welcomed it.
It explained that as well as proving to be popular with visitors, it was a return to more ancient ways and cheaper than using a gardener to cut the grass.
They've ripped up plants several times... and we can't tend our graves
Ray Baker
The sheep, which are on loan for free from a local farmer, have been brought in to graze the grass at the back of the graveyard, while the area at the front is still cut by a lawnmower.
But Ray Baker said the sheep were unwelcome, and were "literally trampling over the graves, especially my grandparents' graves".
St Mary's Church, in Tarring Neville, near Newhaven, has brought in the two ewes and two lambs to keep the grass short during the summer months.
But families of the deceased claim the sheep are not under control, are eating floral tributes and walking on graves.
The church said it had consulted on the use of the sheep, and many welcomed it.
It explained that as well as proving to be popular with visitors, it was a return to more ancient ways and cheaper than using a gardener to cut the grass.
They've ripped up plants several times... and we can't tend our graves
Ray Baker
The sheep, which are on loan for free from a local farmer, have been brought in to graze the grass at the back of the graveyard, while the area at the front is still cut by a lawnmower.
But Ray Baker said the sheep were unwelcome, and were "literally trampling over the graves, especially my grandparents' graves".
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