Woman's 'heart shattered' as items removed from grave

Items placed on graves at the cemetery were found discarded on the grass

A grieving daughter said her "heart has been shattered" after a council removed sentimental items from her dad's grave.

Glass jars, ceramics and ornaments were among the items removed from Brent Road Cemetery in Burnham-on-Sea on Thursday.

Claire Witter, whose dad is buried at the cemetery, said: "My heart shattered into a million pieces. It was like losing him all over again."

Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council said the items "impede the safe maintenance and management of the cemeteries".

Ms Witter said she found out through a Facebook post that items had been moved in the cemetery.

She immediately went to check her dad's grave and discovered items she had placed there were gone.

Claire Witter said her dad's grave now looks "so cold and horrible"

"The grave looked so cold and horrible. It's shocking. I saw a lady crying over her son's grave. I just don't understand why they would do it," Ms Witter added.

She said her family usually brought trinkets from holidays, like an ornament from a beach holiday in Weymouth.

"Now I don't even know where it is.

"We didn't receive any letters about it. We could have removed sentimental items before they piled them up," she said.

Items 'not permitted'

The town council said it had noticed items on graves during inspections earlier this year, in contravention of the cemetery's regulations.

"Notices were displayed at the cemeteries, reminding visitors of the regulations and allowing time for such items to be removed," a council spokesperson said.

"The reason these items are not permitted is because they impede the safe maintenance and management of the cemeteries, which is carried out for the benefit of all visitors and staff.

"Visitors were advised of the town council’s intention to remove such objects and were advised to contact the town council if they had any queries."

A spokesperson added that the regulations were in place to ensure grieving relatives and friends could pay their respected in a "safe and dignified environment".