Mourners have labelled the “disgusting” state of toilets at a Stanmore cemetery as “an insult” to the dead.

The facilities in Harrow Weald Cemetery in Clamp Hill, which is run by Harrow Council, were in disrepair, dirty and harboured a foul smell when the Harrow Times visited them last week after complaints from readers.

Visitors who visit buried relatives and friends in the secluded cemetery are forced to use the toilets as there are no other public toilets nearby, although the council says they are cleaned regularly.

And for Ben Greenwood, 82, the dirty toilets were too much to take after visiting the grave of his wife Sheila, who died after a battle with cancer ten years ago.

He said: “When you go in there and look at the state of them – well, it’s disgusting really.

“It’s the last thing you want to see when you’ve had what can be a very emotional time visiting the place of your relative or loved one. It’s an insult to their memories.

“I’m of a certain age where you do need to use the lavatory in places like this and it just looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in months.”

Other mourners spoken to by the Harrow Times  said they had also been disgusted by the toilets, which are to the left of the main entrance to the site.

One man, who asked not to be named, said he had seen bare electrical wiring hanging from a power socket in the building.

He added: “A kid could run in and touch that, I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. They’re so dirty, I’ve never seen anyone cleaning them.”

John Edwards, divisional director for environmental services at the council, apologised for the condition of the toilets but said it was difficult to keep the aged building spotless.

He said: “These toilets are cleaned on a weekly basis and more regularly when we have scheduled burials taking place.

“Unfortunately the toilet block itself is in some disrepair due to subsidence and age which makes general maintenance of the block a challenge.

“We have arranged an engineers inspection of the facilities and are waiting on the result of that before looking at any further or more detailed works.”