TALKS are being held between the War Graves Commission and an East Lancashire council to make sure the last resting places of a town's soldiers are kept in good condition.

The move was revealed after a retired policeman and former Territorial Army soldier tackled Blackburn with Darwen Council over the poor state of graves in Blackburn Cemetery.

Ray Tucker, 53, of Whalley Old Road, Blackburn, demanded action to improve the condition of 200 war graves in the borough's cemeteries and claimed promises made to improve them during the winter had not been fulfilled.

A councillor will tour Blackburn Cemetery in Whalley Old Road with concerned war veterans to assess the problem.

Mr Tucker, a former member of the Territorial Army and a member of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment Association, told a meeting of the Blackburn with Darwen Council Forum he felt the condition of the graves was a disgrace.

He said: "We were promised before the winter that repairs would be carried out but nothing has happened. The graves have not been maintained and on some of them you have to pull weeds away to see the inscriptions.

"The Commonwealth War Graves Commission pays the council to help cover the cost of the upkeep of these graves." Among those buried in Blackburn are veterans of both world wars, including one Manchester man awarded the Victoria Cross.

Mr Tucker added: "The soldiers in our cemeteries gave their lives to make sure we kept our freedom. The very least we can do is ensure that we keep their graves in a respectable condition. To this end, the commission has offered to increase the grant it pays for the upkeep of the cemetery.

"Some work has taken place since I brought up this subject but there are still many graves where you have to walk through knee-high grass to find them."

The council is currently conducting a review into graveyard security and Coun Salim Mulla, a deputy executive member of leisure and culture, said: "I will be making contact with Mr Tucker and arranging to visit the graves with him.

"The war graves are not set in one part of the cemetery but interspersed throughout. This means we cannot tidy them up without doing the ones around it. It all comes from one budget and we are working as hard as we can to keep the cemetery tidy."