A NORTH-East burial ground has been hailed the best cemetery in the country.

And as the rain and mist swirled around the neat rows of graves at Thorpe Road near, Horden, County Durham, yesterday, cemetery superintendent Jimmy Bush admitted he was bursting with pride at winning the national accolade.

For while the impeccably-kept grounds had been shortlisted for the current Cemetery of the Year Awards, competition from other nominees in the section for memorial parks under 10-acres in size was formidable.

Horden was up against entries from prestigious Alperton Cemetery in London, the beautiful Syston Cemetery in Leicestershire and Bridgenorth Cemetery in Shropshire.

But the cemetery at the edge of the former mining community swept away all before them.

The awards, which were launched in 1998, are aimed at encouraging high standards among the nation's cemetries and raising public awareness to the role they play in communities.

A total of 32 cemeteries were entered in this year's competition and they were all assessed on a range of aspects, including design, maintenance and facilities.

The awards, organised by the National Association of Memorial Masons, were also devised to raise public awareness of the importance of cemeteries, which house a wealth of historical, ecological and sociological information.

And while Jimmy and his staff were quietly confident that they might be placed in the competition, they never believed they would win.

But yesterday, at a special presentation ceremony in Torquay, Horden learned it had scooped the first place.

The winner of the cemetery over ten acres in size was Melton Mowbray, in Leicestershire.

Speaking after the announcement of the awards, a spokesman for the judges said: "Thorpe Road Cemetery was excellent in all areas and particularly user-friendly.

"All areas of the site were easily accessible, a comprehensive sign with all manner of information greets visitors at the gate, and several leaflets were available for members of the public."

He said: "The cemetery provides a great variety of features for its size and gives a good choice to the local community.