BEREAVED relatives hope a 70-signature petition will prompt Hughenden Parish Council to rethink plans to remove flowers and toys from the graves of their loved ones.

The Free Press was bombarded with calls from outraged families after they had warnings from the council telling them to remove flowers and mementos from graves at Four Ashes Cemetery, Cryers Hill, by July 30, or the council would do it for them.

Now parish officers have put the date back until August 13 and hopes are high that a meeting will lead to a compromise.

Sue Matthews, 55, of Penn, whose son Kirby is buried at the cemetery in Hughenden, has branded the plans as 'desecration' and is furious that councillors justify the move as being compliant with the cemetery's rules and regulations.

The council says only one plant is to be placed in a sunken pot and the rest is to be turfed over.

Other families agree, with many saying their reasons for choosing the cemetery were because of how beautifully it is kept.

Sales officer Tina Mackie of Totteridge, High Wycombe, who lost her father to cancer nearly two years ago, said: "To cause problems as people go through such a long and painful process is horribly insensitive."

A council spokesman said: "We discussed the situation at great lengths with several consultations and visits. Most people abide by the current rules.

"There are people who feel certain items are in bad taste and others who feel they are necessary for their grieving process, so we cannot please everyone."