Grieving families have said they feel sickened after their local authority asked them to remove memorials from the headstones of loved ones. It is the second time Merthyr Tydfil council has made the devastating order at its crematoriums across the borough, after a U-turn in August 2021.
According to the families, they have three weeks to remove borders and any decorations not on the headstones themselves, otherwise council workers will do it for them. Marcus Braithwaite, 43, and his sister Claire Braithwaite, 48, have been grieving the loss of their mother Janet Braithwaite, along with their siblings Darren, David and Kim. Janet died at hospital in August 2020 aged 70, leaving the close-knit family heartbroken.
Marcus and Claire said they all regularly visit her plot at Pant cemetery in Merthyr Tydfil and keep it decorated with flowers and an iron border in her memory. However, they said they have since been ordered to dismember the memorial within three weeks, or face council workers doing it instead. It is understood the new rule affects all cremation plots in the borough but not burial plots. A council spokesman said the decision was made to protect public safety.
