A VETERAN has spoken of his disgust at the state of a “rubbish-strewn” foreign cemetery where British servicemen are buried.

Frank Wright, a former County Durham miner and RAF officer, is demanding that the Government takes urgent action to renovate Sharjah Cemetery, in the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Wright visited the cemetery last year to pay his respects to a former comrade who was killed in a road accident while the pair were stationed at RAF Sharjah.

He arrived with his wife, Gloria, to find the cemetery strewn with rubbish and overgrown.

Many of the gravestones were weathered and the inscriptions illegible.

He said: “It was beyond belief – headstones were obscured by desert scrub, rubbish was littered along one wall, cardboard boxes and an old motor tyre were also left there. I could hardly contain my distress and anger at what confronted us.”

Mr Wright, 74, originally from West Cornforth, near Spennymoor, but now living in West Sussex, returned home and immediately attempted to find out who was responsible for the cemetery.

He contacted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission which admitted it was responsible for 12 graves in the military area of the cemetery.

The commission said it was in the process of renovating these graves.

However, at least three British servicemen are buried outside this area.

One of these is Captain HW Brammall who received the Distinguished Service Order and the Distinguished Service Cross after spending the Second World War mine-sweeping in the English Channel.

Mr Wright wrote to Kevan Jones, MP for North Durham and Minister for Veterans, to ask for his assistance.

However, he is still waiting for a response. “I consider the state of the cemetery to be a great injustice to service personnel who die while serving overseas,” said Mr Wright.

“In view of Mr Jones’ ministerial responsibility for veterans, I would have thought some prompt action would have been taken to rectify the situation. I feel that his inaction shows a complete lack of interest and respect.”

Last night, a spokesman for Mr Jones apologised for the delay in replying to Mr Wright, adding that a response would be sent immediately.