A cemetery where homeless people sleep in graves by moving tombstones is to be targeted to tackle illegal camps, drug taking and dirty needles.
The cemetery on Mill Road, Cambridge, is a notorious haunt for drug users and rough sleepers and some have been seen pushing the stones off the top of tombs and using them as beds for the night.
Passers-by have also spotted the homeless sitting in the graves while injecting themselves and drinking.
Council workers have been busy cleaning up the Mill Road cemetery in Cambridge which has been used by homeless people and drug addicts leaving hundreds of discarded used needles
Homeless people have even been removing the lids of tombs for a place to sleep
The council’s team of litter pickers regularly target the cemetery – and volunteers are clearing up vegetation so there is nowhere to camp.
A city council spokesman said: ‘Council officers have been working with the Friends of Mill Road Cemetery group to identify hotspots for anti-social behaviour in the cemetery, such as littering, rough sleeping and drug taking, and to draw up an action plan to tackle them.
‘As a result of this meeting we will open up areas of the cemetery currently covered by vegetation, which could provide cover for illegal camping, drug taking or other forms of antisocial behaviour.
‘This work will take place once the bird nesting season is over. We will also be carrying out regular patrols of the cemetery and its known hotspots to deter antisocial behaviour, including dog fouling and littering.’
A report Cambridge City Council’s environmental team said: ‘No fixed penalty notices issued for dog fouling over this period.
‘However issues continue within the cemetery with regards to rough sleeping and needle finds. A walk-about is due to take place to discuss a way forward in resolving some of the issues in the cemetery.
‘Three incidents of illegal camping were dealt with over this period. The cemetery continues to be a priority both for the enforcement team and for the area enforcement officer and street life officer.
‘The street life officer for the enforcement team has dealt with nine incidents of abandoned property from people sleeping in the cemetery over this period. A total of 213 needles have been removed from the cemetery over this reporting period.’
Volunteers undertake various regular works in the cemetery and a community payback team helped with the clearing of piles of cutbacks created by the volunteers.
These are the number of needles found in the graveyard in previous clean ups:
PC Alan Tregilgas said at the time: ‘It is not unusual to find drunken persons sleeping in this area and in some cases tombstone lids have been pushed off so they can sleep inside.
‘One resident said she was shocked when she saw a male sitting on a grave with his trousers down injecting himself in his thigh in full view of everyone.’
Gail Marchant-Paisley, a city councillor for the Petersfield area of Cambridge at the time, said: ‘I have heard residents say that people are sleeping in the tombs, which may be linked to an increase in the number of homeless in the city.’