VISITORS turning up at Highgate cemetery have been warned not to try to find former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko s final resting place. Jean Pateman, chairman of the Friends group, said the grave would not be included on the cemetery s tour routes.

VISITORS turning up at Highgate cemetery have been warned not to try to find former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko's final resting place.

Jean Pateman, chairman of the Friends' group, said the grave would not be included on the cemetery's tour routes.

She said: "People can come to visit the cemetery whenever there is a guided tour but recent burial sites are not included.

"We have had no requests to see the grave apart from a couple of telephone calls from Moscow and we have said no to them.

"It is up to everybody to respect the fact that this is a sacred place of ultimate repose. It is not a tourist attraction or a place for the morbidly curious to come and visit."

The Friends' group is desperately trying to raise more than £1million to repair the cemetery wall and on Thursday Ms Pateman took advantage of the media frenzy to raise a few more pounds. She said: "I was out there with a collection tin because people from the media were making use of our property so I felt it was high time that they were made aware that this cemetery is run by a charity and at a huge loss.