A cemetery riddled with broken footpaths has been branded a “danger zone” by one regular visitor.

Keith Lee, 63, warned that grieving families risked serious injury after being unable to take his 88-year-old mother Violet to the grave of her late husband, Thomas.

He said he was unable to push her wheelchair along a path inside Chadwell Heath Cemetery in Whalebone Lane North.

Mr Lee, of Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, said: “If somebody fell down they would lay there for God knows how long. It’s a danger zone.”

The council should do more to invest in the borough’s public footpaths, he said.

The gardener said he was also unable to water flowers as the taps were broken.

He claims to have been told just two workers maintain the 11-acre burial ground after a visit on September 30.

Barking and Dagenham Council are aware of the problem, said a spokesman. It is hoped funds will be allocated to relay the paths in the next financial year. A highways inspector will visit this week to see if any remedial works are possible. The taps will be fixed very soon, he added.