Veterans have accused a local council of showing a "complete lack of respect" towards their fallen comrades after they opted to leave the "overgrown" memorials in order to encourage "wildlife and biodiversity".
The war graves in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, "are no longer visible" in some cases as the council only cuts the lawn once a year.
Speaking to GB News, veterans have expressed their concern that the fallen soldiers will be forgotten about if the graves are left untreated.
Armed Forces veteran Mark Greatbatch told The People's Channel about how the council changed its approach to looking after the cemetery.
Images show how the cemetery has become overgrown from 2024 to 2025
Mark Greatbatch
He said: "The Town Council received complaints about noise from strimmers and mowers working on the cemetery and stopped all work.
"They then announced they intended to revert to a management plan from 2012, which focuses on wildlife and biodiversity at the detriment of not just the war graves but all graves in the cemetery, showing a massive lack of respect in my opinion."
Images show how the war graves have become completely overgrown, and in some areas are unsafe.
Greatbatch explained: "The cemetery has already become an unsafe place if you walk off the main pathways to the graves.
"It's because the ground is uneven. Lots of graves don't have headstones and are just curbs, which are not visible. All of this creates trip hazards for anyone using the cemetery."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
One war grave is nearly unseeable
Mark Greatbatch
Bishop's Stortford Town Council leader Cllr Miriam Swainston claimed there had been a "misinterpretation" and that "only three very small areas of the cemetery should be uncut".
She told the Bishop Stortford Independent: "The rest of the grass should have been kept at no more than four inches, with some actually cut short."
Greatbatch, a former council member, is unconvinced and feels the cemetery "looks neglected".
He said: "It has to change. The town council has a responsibility to look after war graves and make sure that they are accessible, and they are not doing it."
Veterans are worried that people will forget about the cemetery and the fallen soldiers
Mark Greatbatch
Veterans worry that if the cemetery is not looked after properly, people will stop coming and forget the fallen soldiers.
"We should never forget those who gave everything for us," Greatbatch said.
He added: "All graves need to be accessible and safe to visit by all ages. The areas around the graves need to be maintained as well."
Cllr Swainston explained problems had begun some months ago when some nearby residents had complained about the way the cemetery was being managed.
She said that a survey will be carried out shortly, and when the council "have the results, the management plan will be reviewed and appropriate updates agreed upon".
But Greatbatch is unconvinced and said: "It's indicative of the council's attitude. They have no respect for those people who have served."
GB News has approached Bishop Stortford Town Council for comment
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