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Graves of war heroes and hundreds of others at a Grade II-listed cemetery are being tarnished as homeless people use them as illegal camps for drug-taking and rough-sleeping.

Tombstones at Mill Road cemetery in Cambridge have been used as beds, with people climbing inside them to sleep, say police.

And the cemetery, created in 1848, has been littered with hundreds of needles - one resident reporting seeing a man sat on a grave with his trousers down, injecting himself in the thigh "in full view of everyone."

Home to monuments and war graves, the cemetery has sadly become a notorious haunt for drug users and rough sleepers, reports Cambridge News.

(Image: CambridgeNews/ WS)

Three incidents of illegal camping have recently been reported to Cambridge City Council, and 213 needles have been removed from the area.

In February this year, 66 needles were removed from the cemetery, 30 in November last year, and a shocking 117 in October 2017.

The area has been a hotspot for drug-taking and rough-sleeping since at least 2012, when PC Alan Tregilgas of Cambridgeshire Police said: "It is not unusual to find drunken persons sleeping in this area and in some cases tombstone lids have been pushed off so they can sleep inside.

"One resident said she was shocked when she saw a male sitting on a grave with his trousers down injecting himself in his thigh in full view of everyone."

Gail Marchant-Paisley, a city councillor for the Petersfield area of Cambridge at the time, said: "I have heard residents say that people are sleeping in the tombs, which may be linked to an increase in the number of homeless in the city."

A report from Cambridge City Council's environmental team said officers had visited the area following dog poo reports, but instead found the dirty needles and moved tombstones.

"Issues continue within the cemetery with regards to rough sleeping and needle finds," it said.

"The cemetery continues to be a priority both for the enforcement team and for the area enforcement officer and street life officer.

"The street life officer for the enforcement team has dealt with nine incidents of abandoned property from people sleeping in the cemetery."

(Image: CambridgeNews/ WS)

The council's team of litter pickers regularly target the cemetery - and volunteers are clearing up vegetation so there is nowhere to camp.

A city council spokesman said: “Council officers have been working with the Friends of Mill Road Cemetery group to identify hotspots for anti-social behaviour in the cemetery, such as littering, rough sleeping and drug taking, and to draw up an action plan to tackle them.

"As a result of this meeting we will open up areas of the cemetery currently covered by vegetation, which could provide cover for illegal camping, drug taking or other forms of antisocial behaviour.

"This work will take place once the bird nesting season is over. We will also be carrying out regular patrols of the cemetery and its known hotspots to deter antisocial behaviour, including dog fouling and littering.”

In February 2018, there were 10 crimes reported in or near Mill Road - four of those were for anti-social behaviour, one criminal damage and arson, one public order, two shoplifting and two violence or sexual offences, according to data on police.uk.