Locals say they are unable to visit the graves of their loved ones as they are being pushed back by long grass and nettles.
Residents have taken to social media to express their unhappiness, with numerous posts in various Farnworth social media pages about the overgrowth.
Volunteer group Friends of Farnworth Cemetery put out a post on June 10 stating they are considering reconvening to combat the issue, with a proposed date of June 18.
Ward councillor Sue Haworth says: “Some residents have found that graves of their loved ones, that have had short grass over the years, look like no one has done any maintenance for a good while. We’ve heard in previous years that wet weather has delayed the grass cutting schedule in the spring, and of course the rain and warmer temperature just makes the grass and foliage grow longer.
"Residents want the cemetery to be well maintained, which causes many to question if the campaign ‘No Mow May’ can be supported here. Everyone expects Farnworth Cemetery to do well out of the council’s seven cemeteries improvement scheme, and that includes additional staffing.”
Friends of Farnworth Cemetery helped with 'action days' in 2019 and 2021 to cut the grass and stem the growth of weeds.
In its current state, many areas of Farnworth Cemetery are mostly inaccessible.
Graves are surrounded by knee-high grass, large sections are overrun with nettles, holly bushes and vines have been allowed to grow without trimming.
Located off St Peter's Way, Farnworth Cemetery is very large, making it difficult to keep under control with just volunteers.
According to Cllr Haworth, one side has a grassy bank which is hard to operate cutting machines on.
Farnworth Cemetery is home to a large number of Commonwealth war graves - 43 in total - all of which are from the first and second world wars.
A Bolton Council spokesperson said: "The recent mix of rain and sun is perfect for grass and weeds to grow faster than normal.
"Plus, the rain has disrupted our scheduled grass cutting operations.
"Please bear with us, as we’re working hard to catch up.”
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