A COUNCIL chief has stressed there is no special treatment when it comes to the size of grave lengths at Pitsea Cemetery.

Kevin Blake, cabinet member for leisure and arts, has said everyone will be made to comply with a 3ft plot length limit.

This is the amount of space, beyond, the headstone, in which relatives can leave flowers and decorations.

It comes as several people with loved ones buried at the site complained some plots still flout the rules and remain 6ft long.

One woman, 50, from Basildon, who has a relative buried at the cemetery, told the Echo: “They don’t touch some graves. For example, the travellers’ graves because they know it will be too much hassle to try to move them. We all know this. There are a few traveller graves over there that haven’t been laid a finger on.”

However Mr Blake hit back and said: “Anyone who knows me knows there are no grey areas. Nobody is going to get special treatment.

“I can understand how some people feel, but I assure them we are actively pursuing the owners of the graves that haven’t been cut back to get them to comply.

“It’s just that some people have gone through different channels to others, such as the courts, which takes longer, but this doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen in the end.”

Last month Mr Blake, made the decision to alter some of the council’s controversial regulations regarding graves.

These included doing a U-turn on a ban on ornaments such as wind chimes and crosses of a certain height on graves.

He said: “It’s a very emotional issue. I understand many people have been upset by these rules.

“That’s why we are now sending out consultation letters to everyone involved to find out what they want.”

He also explained the reasoning behind one new rule – allowing new graves to be 6ft long grave for a period of 14 months He said: “It’s because that is the amount of time it takes for the ground to settle.

“After that graves can be cut back to three foot.”