Woman 'heartbroken' at removal of grave mementos

Lorraine Martin discovered her mother's grave stripped of mementos and covered with soil

A woman said she "dropped to the floor in tears" after discovering mementos had been removed from her mother's grave without her knowledge.

Lorraine Martin visited her mother Winifred's grave at Mount Noddy Cemetery in East Grinstead, West Sussex, on Saturday to find items including ornaments, windchimes and plants had been taken.

A petition has been started, calling on East Grinstead Town Council to reconsider the rigid enforcements of its rules.

The council said it had a duty to keep the cemetery safe and accessible, so had to remove items it deemed to be safety hazards or that restricted maintenance.

"It was heartbreaking" said Ms Martin. "I just dropped to the floor and cried.

"I was just overwhelmed, I just couldn't believe that it had happened without being told it was going to happen.

"I sat at the cemetery afterwards for two hours crying my eyes out."

Lorraine Martin says the ornaments and plants on her mother's grave had been there without issue for 26 years

Ms Martin, whose mother died aged 56 in 1999, said she had been told by staff that rules were going to be enforced more rigidly, and was preparing to remove the plants and items herself once she had taken over the deeds of the grave from her late father, Victor.

"I was in the process of filling out the forms, which the staff knew but they went ahead and did it before I had chance," she said.

"All the plants that had been dug up and been left to die and my ornaments left in a pile."

She said she felt the grave had been "desecrated" by the act, destroying "years and years of memories", and her niece Amy Dean Pollard said she was also upset by what happened.

"The windchime could have been taken off by us and the plants transferred into pots and placed exactly where they were," she added.

"They just removed the lot, ripped it all off and threw a load of soil over it."

'Safety hazards'

East Grinstead Town Council said ornaments could be placed on graves, but only at the headstone and "kept to a minimum", and must not include glass, wind chimes, decorative chippings or fencing.

In a statement it said: "The council has a duty of care to keep the cemetery safe, accessible, and respectful for all visitors.

"The cemetery's terms and conditions, which set out what may be placed on or around graves, are clearly displayed within the cemetery, and are agreed to by all deed holders.

"Where items present safety hazards, restrict maintenance, or fall outside of what is permitted, they may need to be removed.

"We understand this can be upsetting and have written to all affected deed holders to explain the steps that now need to be taken."

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