Chesterfield council apologises as crematorium gates locked over anti-social behaviour

It follows confusion in the Hollingwood Residents group on Facebook as to why the gates were suddenly being locked at the earlier time of 5pm.

Chesterfield Borough Council said it had been a ‘difficult decision’ to change the times but that the decision came as a result of a security review following a ‘number of anti-social behaviour incidents’.

Posting in the residents Facebook group, Karen Martin said: “If you have relatives gardens at the Crematorium be aware that if you go to work you can only visit at weekends.

“The council have now locked the gates and access is 8.30am to 5pm.

“This has caused us some upset this week, seems like going to work gets you penalised.

“I can’t see anyone breaking in or causing damage at 5pm it’s just too busy. Lock them before dark so everyone can visit. Mindless idiots always ruin things and will do so forever as there aren’t any consequences if they do get caught.”

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In a statement, the local authority said locking the gates at 5pm was unfortunately a ‘necessary measure to keep the site maintained and ensure safety for visitors. They apologised inconvenience caused to those wanting to visit and said they would continue to review the opening hours.

A spokesperson for Chesterfield Borough Council told the Derbyshire Times: “Earlier this year there were a number anti-social behaviour incidents in the grounds of the Chesterfield and District Crematorium. This led to a security review and as a result we made the difficult decision to lock the gates at 5pm. This measure is unfortunately necessary to help maintain the site to the standard expected but also to ensure the safety of all visitors. We understand that this may negatively impact some visitors and we apologise for any inconvenience caused however we are keen to emphasise that we have maintained weekend and bank holiday opening to try and provide as much flexibility for access as possible. We will continue to review the opening hours based on demand.”