WORK started yesterday on a £300,000 improvement scheme to ease flooding problems at a Teesside cemetery.

The existing drainage system at Stranton Cemetery, in Hartlepool, is to be upgraded, and new drains and roads installed to serve a western extension of the graveyard.

The work is scheduled to last 12 weeks, and follows am investigation of flooding problems at the cemetery by Hartlepool Borough Council's environment and regeneration scrutiny forum.

Members heard a number of residents tell of their heartache at finding the graves of loved ones submerged after heavy rain.

The council's environmental standards manager, Sylvia Tempest, said: "Finding a grave to be waterlogged is bound to be a very distressing experience for a bereaved person visiting the cemetery, and that is why we are pressing ahead with this improvement scheme."

The work also involves replacing an existing boundary wall between the cemetery and homes on Brierton Lane, which is in a dangerous condition.

Steps are being taken to ensure the works cause no disruption to funerals, and that access is maintained to all graves at all times.

David Wilson, the council's principal engineer, said: "We intend to ensure that people can reach the graves they are visiting, but on occasions they may have to walk a little farther to get to them.

"We would like to thank people in advance for their patience and understanding, and apologise for any inconvenience that is caused by these works."