THE approach to Barnard Castle cemetery is to be repaired following complaints about potholes and mud.
A pile of undersoil and boulders which has been dumped against the wooden fence of the cemetery are also to be cleared following a separate complaint.
The issues were reported to Barnard Castle Town Council’s services committee by chairman Cllr Roger Peat.
He said concerns over the state the approach to the cemetery from Victoria Road had called into question whether its maintenance was the responsibility of the town or county council.
“It is leading to a Durham County Council cemetery but it appears it is not on the area that the county council has direct control over,” said Cllr Peat.
He asked for clarity so that he could organise repairs if the county council was unwilling to do so.
“The important thing is that when a hearse or loved ones drive along, they are jolted along through the potholes. That’s not acceptable.”
Leaves and mud which have built up on the approach also make it difficult for anyone walking to the cemetery.
Cllr Peat also voiced concern about the effect the pile of soil and boulders was having on the wooden fence inside the actual cemetery.
As a result of the issues raised, members of the services committee agreed to contact the county council’s clean and green team.
In response, Jimmy Bennett, Durham County Council’s clean and green manager, said: “The track leading to the cemetery is not owned by ourselves, however, our clean and green teams have spoken to the town clerk and agreed to visit the site and carry out some improvement works, including removing the soil within the cemetery itself.”
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
