New rules are to be introduced this month following a review by Warwick District Council aimed at making the sites cleaner and tidier places for people to remember their loved ones.

Kenilworth St John's, Warwick North and Leamington's Milverton and Brunswick cemeteries are among those which will be affected.

The review does not cover the seven closed churchyards maintained by the council.

District council parks manager Nigel Bishop said: "Considering the age of the regulations, the culture and social policy committee considered it prudent to review them to ensure that they were up to date and meaningful.

"We provide a very good bereavement service and we are very proud of all our cemeteries and crematoriums and spend a lot of money as a district council ensuring the standard of maintainance is high."

Under new rules no dogs except guide and support dogs will be let into the sites in an attempt to stop fouling.

Mr Bishop added: "A lot of people just take their dogs for a walk in the cemeteries as it is easy and they leave the mess behind, which offends and upsets other people.

"When asked to clean up after their pets they are verbally abusing staff."

On the bench ban, Mr Bishop added: "People were buying a bench and putting it next to a grave and it might be on top of someone else's."

Lighting candles and solar lights is also no longer allowed. And children under 12 will have to be supervised at all times. There will also be a strict no smoking policy as the sites are on council land.

Mr Bishop added: "We spend £160,000 a year maintaining our cemeteries and have to mow around every headstone. If someone puts a candle in a glass vase where it isn't supposed to be it can get smashed."