A COUNCIL has been attacked for the "disgraceful" state of graves at a Darlington cemetery.

Julie Peak's daughter, Alison Walker, is buried in North Road Cemetery. She died at the age of 13, after contracting meningitis.

New Year's Day will be the tenth anniversary of her daughter's death and, as always, Mrs Peak plans to visit the grave to lay flowers and a wreath.

But she says the poignant occasion will be spoiled because of the state of her daughter's grave.

Mrs Peak says the grave has no grass, and because it is on a roadside, it has turned it into a mud bath.

Several other graves nearby are in the same condition, says Mrs Peak, who wants Darlington Borough Council to take action to tidy up the cemetery.

"It's bad enough that I have to go to the grave of my 13-year-old daughter, but it's even worse when it is in this state," she said.

"The cemetery is in a disgusting state, and even putting flowers on Alison's grave does not cover up the awful mess it is in.

"It is the council's responsibility to look after the graves and yet I face having to walk through a mud bath to get to my daughter's grave."

A Darlington council spokesman said there had been problems with repeated and prolonged vandalism in North Road Cemetery, but the authority was taking measures to try to clean up the cemetery.

There are wardens on site, including late patrols, and community volunteers have been involved in schemes to clean up the area and repair damage.

The spokesman said another idea was to build up a feeling of "community ownership" in the area, and meetings had been held with residents.

"We know that there is no quick-fix solution to something like vandalism, and are looking to make steady progress to beat the vandals," he said.

"We are doing our best to keep it tidy, clean it up and prevent vandalism continuing.