A GRIEVING resident said she was ‘heartbroken’ to visit the cemetery where four of her family members are buried and discover stickers on the graves ordering her to remove memorial trinkets.

Marianne Pilkington visited Christ Church in Padgate on Easter Saturday to pay her respects to her mother, grandmother, grandfather and brother, who died at the age of 30.

The full time carer, who grew up in Woolston but now makes the journey to the church from her home in St Helens, said there were notices around the graveyard asking families to clear away ornaments and plastic flowers or they would be removed by the church staff.

Marianne said: “A lot of people are deeply upset and angry. It’s absolutely disgusting.

“I had a memorial vase made for my mum’s grave and right next to it there was a sticker. The vicar had told me it was okay but now I’ve been trying to find out if they will take it.

“I was heartbroken. We have chosen these graves and paid for them and they are all we have left to go to and remember our loved ones.

“I decorate the graves every Christmas but now they are saying we can’t put any ornaments out. It’s the most disrespectful thing.”

But a spokesman for Christ Church said they are following regulations for cemeteries set out by the Church of England.

He said: “We recognise the very personal and sensitive nature of this issue and that people will want to grieve the loss of loved ones in a variety of ways. For some people personal items can be a part of this and we appreciate the strength of feeling this can evoke.

“However, we need our graveyard to be a place that is respectful, decent and appropriate for everyone. The Church of England have specific regulations to guide how churches do this and we have and are continuing to work to follow these sensible rules.

“While for the general good of the graveyard and the benefit of all who use it we have also been asking that items that don’t conform with the regulations to be removed and understand that this may be a difficult and emotional request.

“We have always wanted people to remove their own items, which some people have, and have been generous in the length of notice we have given. However we are now reluctantly having to look to remove these items ourselves. We intend to store them in an itemised way for a period of six months.”

The church is also setting up a friends of Christ Church graveyard group to care for the cemetery.