Toys and flowers banned from Shawbury graves

Families have been asked to remove toys and flowers from graves at a north Shropshire burial ground after councillors raised concerns about the declining condition of the land.

Shawbury Parish Council has called on mourners not to "personalise" loved ones' graves at the village burial ground amid fears that by doing so people are stopping the area from looking "neat and tidy".

It has been claimed mementos such as vases and flowers are preventing workers from cutting the grass.

Relatives of some of the people buried there today said they had been left "upset" by the move.

One woman, who asked not to be named, said: "I was asked to remove vases and flowers from the grave, which I did. But other gra-ves still have all these extra things on so I'm keeping an eye on it to see if everyone has to remove items."

She added: "The chairman of the parish council did go to people's houses to speak to them about their concerns rather than just pushing leaflets through letterboxes. That was the right thing to do but I have to say I was still a little hurt.

"It has upset me because not everyone has followed the council's advice."

The parish council has notified affected villagers in writing.

A council statement in the village newsletter said: "Members understand that some families like to personalise their relative's grave but unfortunately this me-ans that it is impossible for the council to carry out necessary maintenance work."

Regulations state that graves should be kept to just a headstone and an adjacent vase. Parish clerk Jack Wilson said: "We are asking people to abide by the regulations."