A VILLAGE community whose churchyard is now full is reserve a section of a neighbouring cemetery.

In a report to Teesdale District Council's community services committee, technical and contracts manager Alf Wilkinson told members that he had received a request from Winston Parish Council that a section of the cemetery at Gainford be reserved for Winston people.

"It is not unusual for segregation to take place on the grounds of faith, but I am unaware of similar arrangements on the grounds of locality," he added. There were some two or three burials a year from Winston, with about three times that many from Gainford and the surrounding area.

Coun Jo Fergus did not see why it should not happen. They were separate villages, although only two miles apart. There had had to be integration in certain instances, such as when Winston school closed. The least they could do was to let them preserve their identity in death.

Coun Ken Hodgson felt there would be no problem; the Winston section could start at the bottom end of the cemetery, near the river, and come up.

It was geographically and technically feasible felt Coun Phil Hughes. If they were separate communities in life he did not see why they should have to be mixed in death. They ought to be sensitive to the requests of people being buried outside their home village.

Coun Newton Wood wondered if there would be a maintenance problem and they might be unable to utilise the cemetery properly.

In trying to arrive at a solution they should formulate a policy for the whole district, was Coun John Watson's opinion. It was not going to be long before Startforth was in the same situation. He felt more could have been done to explore freeing up land at Winston to allow further burials. Many farmers often had fields that they were prepared to sell.

But Coun Hodgson said it had been thoroughly investigated and there was no land available in the village.

Members agreed to grant Winston people the right to a separate section of the cemetery, starting in rows, as suggested, from the river.