Taunton baby memorial damage: Apology 'not good enough'

Jolie Howe (left) and Rachael Westcott have now tidied up the garden and are working to make it "beautiful again"

Heartbroken parents have said an apology is "not good enough" after a baby memorial garden was damaged by council maintenance work.

Family members visiting Taunton Crematorium said trinkets and gifts were "chucked away", flowers tipped out of their pots and items were broken.

Mum Jolie Howe said: "I sat on the bench and cried. It felt like the burial had all been dragged up again."

Somerset West and Taunton Council said it would learn from what had happened.

Ms Howe, who has two babies buried at the garden, said: "It felt like I was going through the burial again. Everyone was upset that was here.

"I obviously know by stepping where my babies are buried, but I couldn't tell where they were by their stuff because it was nowhere near where they were buried."

Ms Westcott said trinkets and gifts were "chucked away", flowers tipped out of their pots, and items were broken

Parents and crematorium staff thought at first that the garden had been disturbed by vandals, but later found out it was a member of staff carrying out maintenance work.

"Knowing that it was due to lack of care and respect and time, that sits uneasy with me," said Rachael Westcott, who lost her son Jack after he was born prematurely.

"The council has apologised, but it's not good enough. There is only so much a sorry can do, that doesn't fix the things that were broken, that hasn't made it any less raw."

Ms Howe added: "It makes you lose trust in who is looking after our children."

Ms Westcott discovered what had happened on Monday.

"None of the babies bits were in place were they should be. There was nothing of my son's, other than his one solid plaque," Ms Westcott said.

"I had to retrieve his solar lights and trinkets from the hedgerow nearby and that was the same for other mums who came up to find their babies' things not in place and chucked along the hedgerow."

Somerset West and Taunton Council said that in maintaining the crematorium grounds "we clearly got it wrong"

The two mothers said staff at the crematorium had been "fantastic", adding they had been just as astonished by what they saw.

They have now tidied up the garden and are in talks with the crematorium about making the area "look beautiful again".

Councillor Andy Sully, executive member for environmental services, said: "On behalf of Somerset West and Taunton I want to apologise to the families for the distress caused.

"In maintaining the crematorium and cemetery grounds we clearly got it wrong on this occasion, and are hoping to work with all concerned to see how we can avoid anything like this happening in the future."