A Parish Meeting has been called as Ledbury Town Council looks at the way the town cemetery in New Street is managed.

One of more contentious issues could be the forthcoming safety testing of gravestones and monuments, which is set to take place next month, to see if they comply with health and safety regulations.

The testing will initially involve “all the older stones to the area to the right of the main entrance”, and efforts will be made to contact families to advise them if there are problems.

Official Government advice on unstable gravestones points out that “in most cases the actual level of risk from an unstable memorial will be very low such that a warning sign near to a memorial alerting visitors to the potential danger will suffice until repair has been arranged”.

But other measures could involve cordons, and Government advice is if there is “an imminent risk of toppling” then “immediate steps may be necessary to reduce the risk, such as restricting access or laying the memorial flat”.

The parish meeting to discuss the tests and other matters will take place at Ledbury Town Council Offices on October 29, from 7pm.

Other matters to be discussed will include updated fees and charges for interments; dogs in the cemetery, and a scatter garden for ashes.

The “topple testing” in the cemetery is set to start on November 28.

Town clerk, Angela Price said: “The first phase of testing will begin at the main entrance to the cemetery and will encompass all the older stones to the area to the right of the main entrance. Once completed the findings of the inspections will be reported and where possible families will be contacted to advise accordingly.

“It is not anticipated that the inspections should cause any disruption to visitors to the cemetery.”