The new rules came into force at the turn of the year and apply to both the Avesta and Grytnäs parishes that form Avesta-Grytnäs pastorate.

Since then, the staff at the cemetery has been forced to cut around the graves instead of cutting them as before.

- It takes both longer and is much more complicated, and it will also be more expensive for a while now until it gets good, says Lars-Anders Johansson, the burial service of Avesta-Grytnäs pastorate.

Avesta's cemetery contains 2,900 graves. 1100 of them have no basic care today. And on those graves the grass has not been mowed at all this year.

Grytnäs parish has 1300 graves. 200 stands without basic care.

According to Lars-Åke Lönnberg, chairman of the church council of the Avesta-Grytnäs pastorate, the reason why the congregations have started to pay is purely financial. He explains that the congregation is losing members and has declining revenues.

The purpose of letting the grass grow on the graves is to drive more to pay.

The maintenance of the cemetery is financed by the funeral fee. But the funeral fee may not, according to law, be used to manage individual burial sites. Some congregations therefore allow the church fee to finance the mowing at the graves. Avesta-Grytnäs has decided not to do so.

- We were faced with the choice to possibly cancel someone from the staff, or to take a fee. The cost is a few hundred thousand, says Lars-Åke Lönnberg.

But now Lönnberg regrets the decision and opens up for a possible change.

SVT reported · What does it look like in the cemetery where you live?

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