ANGRY mourners clashed with cops after jobsworth council officers ripped headstone tributes from a cemetery in a " disgusting" clear out.
Distraught relatives were met with a large police presence at Mill Lane Cemetery in Stockport, Greater Manchester, on Wednesday morning as the row regarding grave decorations erupted.
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Bereaved relatives were met with cops at the gate of Mill Lane Cemetery in Stockport Credit: MEN Media 4
One grieving father was restrained by police as the row reached fever pitch Credit: MEN Media
Stockport Council bosses informed grieving grave-owners they had to remove large garden tributes and floral decorations three years ago.
They said the additions were deemed an obstacle when mowing the lawn in the cemetery, despite dedicated love ones tending to some of the gardens for over a decade.
Last month, the local authority claimed plot owners had already agreed to the policy when purchasing a grave and that it has every right to remove them.
In a statement, Coun Sheila Bailey added that 'it is clear that there
is an overwhelming desire that Mill Lane Cemetery must continue to be
a lawned cemetery as it was originally designed to be'.
Despite explaining the large majority of families had already adhered to the rules, others hit out at the compassionless council.
Kelly Pullen from Cheadle, who has several family members buried in the Manchester Road cemetery, rushed down after hearing the controversial clean-up was going ahead.
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She said: "I'm distraught that they're even doing this just before Christmas.
"We own rights to those graves, we paid for our loved ones to be buried so we should be able to do what we want with them.
"This is a place that brings us comfort, we've decorated the graves of our loved ones and they're taking that away.
"It's the fact about all the police presence, have they not got anything else to do?"
Another plot owner Gaynor Bradburn, whose mother has been buried in the cemetery for 14 years, described the tense situation as "heartbreaking".
She explained: "I’ve been sent a live video and it’s absolutely horrendous.
"It’s heartbreaking, they’re not letting anybody in and everybody’s obviously very very angry and upset.
"It’s absolutely disgusting that they can do that. To have the amount
of police there is unbelievable, it’s absolutely horrendous."
We own rights to those graves, we paid for our loved ones to be buried so we should be able to do what we want with them.
Kelly Pullen
Gaynor said people received letters in October stating their "possessions would be removed" if they did not comply with the request.
Throughout Wednesday morning, a small crowd of angry grave-owners gathered at the gate to the cemetery, remonstrating with enforcement officers, as bailiffs were sent in just before Christmas.
Some were allowed inside to collect their belongings, but clashes between the relatives and cops meant access was restricted.
A grieving father was harrowingly restrained by police officers after becoming involved in a heated exchange.
Despite the clashes, no arrests were made by the police present, a GMP spokesperson said.
Council bosses defended the action, saying families had been asked to
remove the gardens previously.
Councillor Sheila Bailey, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport,
said: “We understand that all families have their own unique ways of
remembering their loved ones and that personal items and ornaments can
hold dear memories.
"Each grave has an area around the headstone where such items can be placed. Over recent years however we have seen larger tributes, gardens or borders established at some graves in Mill Lane Cemetery.
COUNCIL STAND FIRM
"Many people have told us that they chose Mill Lane as the final resting place for their loved one specifically because it was a lawned cemetery, but the increasing number of gardens or tributes built out in front of graves means that this is no longer the case.
"The original design of Mill Lane as a lawned cemetery is explained when a family is considering Mill Lane Cemetery and when a grave is purchased.
"We understand that this is an extremely emotive issue and we have been in contact with grave owners since 2018, when they were written to, to ask that gardens, borders or ornaments be removed.
"Many people responded to this request and since then we have sought to engage with individual grave owners where we know gardens or larger displays have been placed.
"We have also spoken to a wide range of groups and individuals who visit Mill Lane.
"We subsequently wrote to a number of grave owners in June and October of this year who had not yet removed borders or ornaments and tributes and some have since been cleared.
"We have carefully considered all the views presented to us over recent years and it is clear that there is an overwhelming desire that Mill Lane Cemetery must continue to be a lawned cemetery as it was originally designed to be.
"The council want to ensure that Mill Lane will continue to be maintained as a lawned cemetery in line with the wishes of the majority of people who visit and are pleased that people have removed items today and thank them for their cooperation.
"We will be removing the remaining items in the near future. The council is determined to ensure that the rules which are followed by the vast majority of grave owners are followed by everyone."
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The council say the tributes are an obstruction when the grass is cut, though locals say the majority are well kept Credit: MEN Media 4
Furious families said they were in disbelief at how many police officers attended Credit: MEN Media