Guidelines for Grave Memorials

Portsmouth Cemeteries have a lawn style layout – this is a cemetery where the grave space around the memorial is kept turfed and mown. You are only permitted lawn type memorials and a maximum of three vases.

Kerbs or surrounds of any material (including loose chippings) are not permitted. Such items can pose a danger, restrict access and make maintenance difficult. The council reserve the right to remove them.

There are several reasons for this:

An obstruction causes a trip hazard to bearers carrying coffins
A person with poor sight may not see fencing or loose items and trip over
Plastic/loose chippings become embedded in the grass and cannot be seen. When the area is being strimmed a loose piece can become a flying object that could cause serious injury to anyone in close proximity
Grass is slippery when damp. Serious injury could be caused to anyone falling onto fencing, especially if spiked
Graves are re-levelled at 8 weeks and 16 weeks after a burial. It is important for the long term care of the grave that this is done. Turfing is replaced between November and March and we cannot do this work when a grave is covered

The Cemeteries Office may remove without prior notice, any tree or shrub that obstructs any grave headstones, road or path.

All monuments, memorials, wreaths, plants, plant holders or other articles placed in the cemetery are the responsibility of the grave owner. The council will not accept any responsibility for their repair or maintenance but may take any appropriate action to make safe and recover the cost from the grave owner.

To avoid unnecessary distress or upset caused by the removal of hazardous items, please follow the guidelines or contact the Cemeteries Office where alternatives can be discussed to enable you to decorate the grave space in a way pleasing to you but also abiding by Health + Safety considerations.

In order to maintain high standards on all the graves we need the co-operation of every grave owner. We may be forced to restrict the maintenance to graves where the following hazards are present:

Plastic flowers / plastic surrounds
Not only do these look unkempt and neglected, they also pose serious problems if they get caught inside the cutters of mowing machines.

Plastic windmills
These are used in an attempt to discourage squirrels, but soon prove futile once they are realised not to be a threat. The noise they generate can disturb funeral services and can break into dangerous fragments during maintenance operations.

Glass
Glass vases on graves freeze and split and the shards become a safety hazard. Please do not place any glass items on graves.

Additional items of information we would draw your attention to are:

Dogs
Dogs must be kept on a lead and fouling collected. We constantly receive complaints about dog faeces on graves, as this can be very upsetting for people.

Cars
Vehicles must remain on the main drive. Using the narrow pathways causes damage to them, to grave spaces and causes an obstruction to pedestrians. If you or your passenger is disabled, contact the Cemeteries Office who will then devise a route and issue a permit.

Grave Preparation
Please note that in the future, perhaps a week, or even years away, we will need to excavate the grave at the side or foot of the grave you have purchased or attend. We may have to place boards over the grave and if required, a soil box. After the funeral we clean the grave and leave the area as neat as possible.

Wreaths / Floral Tributes
Our workmen remove wreaths and floral tributes approximately 17 days after the burial. If you remove them please do not place them in the bins around the cemetery. If you wish to keep any tributes or frames please remove them before the seventeenth day after burial.

Re-Turfing
Graves are automatically re-turfed when the grave has settled between 1st November and 31st March subject to conditions being favourable. The turfing date is dependant on when the burial took place within the year.

If you need any further guidance you can telephone the Cemetery Office on 023 9273 2559 or email cemeteries@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Link 11 ( MB)