Sir – I have been asked by a visually-impaired and disabled friend to again take up the problem of the bollards at Tower Hill Cemetery in Witney.
It seems that during the week, an appointment can be made to have the offending articles ‘dropped’ to allow car access.
However, at weekends, high days and holidays, when no council staff are on duty, she can only be driven part of the way, and then faces a slow, breathless, 15-minute walk to reach her relatives’ grave using her walker (if dry – wet weather makes this mission impossible) and is exhausted on arrival.
This to me seems rather unfair.
Whereas she, and I, understand the reason for the bollards, due to obviously inconsiderate cemetery visitors, little consideration seems to be made for the less able-bodied.
I am not entirely sure what the solution is, but I am sure one needs to be found (perhaps low, chain-link fencing along path borders to deter drivers lacking respect for graves) but the situation as it is certainly smacks of discrimination against the disabled.
I feel for my friend and I hope that the council will soon find a way around this for her and those in her position.
Dorothy Holloway, Wenrisc Drive, Minster Lovell
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