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‘No Christmas lights or teddies on graves’
Adam Derbyshire21/ 2/2007
A BAN on personalising graves is on the cards after grieving relatives were accused of going over the top - even putting flashing Christmas lights on them.
Other graves have teddy bears and miniature picket fencing - as well as solar lighting which casts an eerie glow over cemeteries at night.
The council says it is not only an issue of respect for the dead but of health and safety.
Councillor Peter Robinson, environment scrutiny panel chairman, says cemeteries should be dignified places of rest and purged of "inappropriate" items.
"Some of the graveyards in Tameside are becoming nothing more than amusements," he said.
"At night in Droylsden cemetery, the residents in Manor Road are greeted by an eerie glow from the solar lights on the graves. I certainly wouldn't like to look out of my window and see that.
"But it's such a sensitive issue and we need to decide exactly where the boundaries lie. There is a section in the baby plot at Dukinfield that allows mourners to place teddies and mementoes.
"Elsewhere, however, we have certain headstones with wrought iron railings around the plot. And that is a health and safety issue.
"There needs to be conformity. No one would deny how striking the war graves look with a simple white cross ,a flower and a plaque on the front. It's nice and neat and conveys a sense of deep respect."
Senior registrar Mike Gurney said: "It is a problem. For example at Christmas we even had some graves with flashing lights on and the railings are becoming increasingly commonplace."
"We're not being bureaucratic but if someone trips up, health and safety will come down on us like a ton of bricks. We don't want to cause upset but a cemetery should be a place of respect."
The proposal is sure to infuriate grieving relatives who want to personalise their loved one's plot.
Tracy Brierley of Mossley was devastated when council officials interfered with her baby son Ben's grave in 2005.
Toys had been pushed to one side and a wind chime in a nearby tree had been pulled down.
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8/03/2007 at 14:58
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