PARISH councillors in a village have reacted with dismay after a plea for help looking after a graveyard was turned down.

Councillors in Worsthorne say they cannot afford to keep looking after the disused cemetery at the Methodist Chapel because it costs £600 a year to maintain.

Last year they even wanted to take up the offer from a local farmer of a group of sheep to graze in the cemetery so they could save money on employing a lawnmower.

However complaints from residents in the village that sheep trampling over a graveyard was offensive forced them to abandon the idea - and up the parish rates instead.

Councillors appealed to Burnley council to take over the running of the cemetery, but they have now been told that will not happen, although the authority will offer them help in applying for grants.

Burnley council said the decision had been made because of the cost of maintaining the churchyard and because it would have set a precedent if other groups wanted it to take over bits of land.

The parish council has been responsible for maintaining the 100-year-old graveyard since taking over the church, now disused, in 1987.

Chairman of Worsthorne with Hurstwood Parish Council, Coun Tony Lambert, said: "We shouldn't really have taken this on in the first place and we are disappointed that Burnley council have refused our request to take it over.

"However we would be grateful if they can offer us any advice about where to get any funding from because we cannot afford to maintain it for long."

A Burnley council spokesman said: "We have written to the parish council clerk informing them of the decision and offering advice and support to help them find sources of funding."