Amber Valley Borough Council

Six cemeteries in Derbyshire have been closed after a local council said it had seen a rise in visits which were "not considered essential".

Amber Valley Borough Council said it had noticed "an above normal" number of residents visiting its sites during the lockdown which posed a risk to maintenance staff.

"Access is only permitted for funerals, essential staffing and emergency or urgent works on site," it said.

“Tending to graves or memorials at cemeteries is not considered essential, but council staff will continue to manage the maintenance of cemeteries and their grounds."

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The cemeteries closed are:

• Rodgers Lane, Alfreton
• Cemetery Road, Leabrooks
• Matlock Road, Belper
• Ilkeston Road, Heanor
• Cemetery Lane, Ripley
• Crosshill, Codnor

The council added: "We appreciate this may cause disruption and distress, but the decision has been taken with the safety of residents in mind and to ensure government advice is followed."

Only five family members are currently allowed to attend funerals and the installation of plaques has been suspended.

Amber Valley Borough Council is facing an "extremely serious" financial crunch which could see it effectively run out of money in two years.

The authority's chief finance officer said "urgent action" was required to plug a budget gap equivalent to a fifth of the council's annual revenue spending.

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The council is forecast to spend millions of pounds more in a year than it brings in, despite major savings over the past few years.

It leaves the council needing to find further spending cuts or a way to significantly boost its income.

A Conservative Derbyshire councillor said he is "in no way racist" after calling for a ban on the burka and saying there are an "excessive amount" of mosques.

Cllr Henry Thompson, who represents Heanor East on Amber Valley Borough Council, made the comments on a recent Facebook post underneath a national newspaper story about banning the head covering.

He has since been suspended from the party, pending an investigation.

Amber Valley Borough Council

After the post came to light, he told the LDRS that “in no way am I racist" and that his comments were in relation to security concerns.

"None of this was me taking a jab at Islam, because I have nothing against people from different backgrounds wanting to be part of a chosen religion," he added.

He apologised for any offence caused but added he was writing in a personal capacity and stood by what he said.

The borough council's Labour leader has called for him to resign.

All the results are in from Amber Valley and with 24 seats, Labour have taken control of the council from the Conservatives.

Duffield has officially gone green - Dave Wells has snatched the seat off the Conservatives.

The authority now has three parties and an independent. Crikey.

The Tories have lost their grip on Amber Valley - they have held it for all but one year this side of the Millennium.