Gosport couple fear son's memorial bench could be removed

Daniel Day was 32 when he died in 2013

A couple who paid for a memorial bench for their son have said a council policy change could result in it being removed or allocated to somebody else.

The parents of Daniel Day paid £995 for the bench at Stokes Bay in Gosport following his death aged 32 in 2013.

However, Gosport Borough Council has introduced "renewal fees" that families will have to pay to keep the benches.

The council said the policy was changed after concerns were raised about there being too many benches in the area.

Angie and Dave Day told the BBC they believed the council was "desecrating" bench memorials

Dave and Angie Day said the council had originally told them it would always maintain the bench.

But the new policy requires those who paid for the benches to pay renewal fees every five years after an initial 10-year period.

The policy says: "In the event the council are unable to contact the applicant after the 10-year agreement period the council shall remove the plaque and store for a period of 12 months before disposal.

"The bench, if still in a good, safe condition, will then be made available for others to use."

Daniel Day's 10-year-old son Alfie regularly visits his father's bench

It also says it can only accept payment from the person who originally paid for the plaque and bench, unless they have given written permission allowing someone else to act on their behalf.

Mr Day said he fears this will mean the bench will not be around for his grandson Alfie - Daniel's son - in future decades.

"I pointed out that this was out of order - they're desecrating a memorial," Mr Day said.

Councillor Philip Raffaelli, chairman of Gosport Borough Council's community board, said the policy change had been subject to "considerable" consultation.

He said there was "no more room" for new benches and that a local environmental group had warned the area was "becoming a real mess".