YASMIN Khan was born in Harlow and has lived here all her life. She has brought up five children in the town, she is a published poet and a writer of children’s books. She and her family are an active part of the Harlow community. Her father and brother died in Harlow and are buried in the Parndon Wood Cemetery.

She asked Councillor Mark Ingall, Leader of the Council, to meet her at the cemetery recently because she has become upset about dogs running loose.

Ms Khan said to Cllr Ingall: “I often visit the cemetery. It’s a beautiful spot to sit, remember loved ones, pray and enjoy a moment of peace and remembrance in a peaceful and tranquil spot. Unfortunately some dog owners are not respecting the importance of this place to bereaved family members who come here, allowing their dogs to run loose, urinating and defecating on and around the graves.

“The Cemetery advises visitors to keep dogs on leads and many do but a minority who are visiting the adjacent woods which are not fenced off, allow their pets run into the open space around the memorials.

“I am not anti-dog, I am a great animal lover and I like the fact that deer and squirrels visit this area, but it is a different matter when dogs are allowed to foul the graves.

Councillor Ingall said, “It was a pleasure to meet Yasmin and hear her story. I share her concerns and I am sure the residents of Harlow will too. I shall be contacting the management of the Cemetery to see if there are measures they can put in place to stop this fouling of the graves by dogs happening. In the meantime I would urge visitors to show care and respect when visiting the cemetery and the woods adjacent to it by keeping their dogs under control and on a lead”.