AN angry widow is embroiled in a war of words with officials of St Helens Cemetery over what she described as their "double standards."

Agnes Foster, from Albion Street, St Helens, was upset earlier this year when she went to visit the grave of her late husband Jim and found that a wrought-iron fence surrounding it had been removed. She was told a new ruling meant any fencing which took up over six inches of land was not allowed.

But, according to Agnes, owners of a nearby grave have erected a six-foot high fence around their plot which, she says, cemetery management have made no effort to move.

She told the Star: "I'm not angry at them for putting the fence up, after all, I and hundreds of other people with relatives buried in the cemetery did the same thing. But the fact that the managers can turn a blind eye to this after insisting that our fences come down is inexcusable.

"I spotted the fence the Sunday before last and I and quite a lot of other people complained but the man we spoke to just made one excuse after another. First of all he said they were allowed to have the fence because they were cutting their own grass, but I have to cut the grass on my plot. Then he said they were letting them keep the fence up because they had loved ones buried there and the cemetery didn't want to upset them. But who does he think I've got buried in my plot?

"It just seems so maddening. I have paid as much money for my husband's grave as they did and yet, they seem to be getting the preferential treatment."

However, a spokesman for St Helens Cemetery denied that they were showing any favouritism: "It was first brought to our attention that the fence had been erected last Sunday, September 15. However, this fence was 12 inches tall, not six foot.

"The following day, the owners of the plot were notified that the fence was too high and that it would have to be removed as soon as possible, just the same as everybody else who had a fence was informed. We have not given out any preferential treatment in this case at all."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.