A man who has been lovingly clearing up forgotten graves for three years has been told by the council to stop.
Kind-hearted George Lesley, 74, from Dereham Road, gets up as early as 4am to tidy burial sites in Earlham Cemetery.
In 2019 he noticed a number of derelict graves which were completely grown over while out picking berries.
Mr Lesley said: "There was a path being blocked by a blackberry bush and behind it I thought I saw part of a grave.
"So I trimmed it back and sure enough there it was. It went from there really.
"I've tidied up close to 20 graves - all in the same area.
"I don't really like touching people's graves but I think the people buried there deserve to be looked after in some way, so I don't mind doing it.
"I make sure everything is safe for any wildlife to come through and I'm careful to do it so the blackberries can keep growing."
Yet despite his efforts, a Norwich City Council spokeswoman has told him to stop.
Mr Lesley added: "I'm just making the graves a little bit nicer.
"It is a cemetery but it's looking more like a woodland."
The former postman and milkman also slammed the council for not doing more to keep the site in suitable shape.
He said: "There's only so much I can do."
A spokeswoman for Norwich City Council said: "Along with all council-run cemeteries, Earlham Cemetery has a grounds maintenance and conservation programme.
"We’ve worked alongside organisations including the Friends of Earlham Cemetery on this programme.
"We carry out work to maintain the safety of the nearly 40,000 memorials within our cemeteries.
"While we understand the good-hearted motives behind this man’s efforts, we have to actively discourage anyone other than our contractors carrying out maintenance work at the cemeteries.
"It could be dangerous and may be damaging to important flora and fauna habitats while compromising the safety of the memorials.
"If anyone would like to safely get involved with the cemetery, they can contact www.friendsofearlhamcemetery.co.uk."
Mr Lesley said he will continue to look after the forgotten graves as best he can.
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