Angry mourners claim floral tributes on their loved ones' graves in Blacon have been 'chucked' aside or even 'stolen' on some occasions.
Frustrated residents vented their anger on the Blacon Community Facebook page last week after one man discovered roses he had left at his sister's resting place at Blacon Cemetery had been discarded.
He wrote: "Well what a joke this is becoming – just been down to Blacon Cemetery to where my sister's ashes are scattered and again the vases have gone but this time the roses are just chucked down by the tree.
"They have either been moved by the workers or pinched – if they have been pinched that is the low of the low and if the workers have moved them, why? What harm are they doing?"
Another resident claimed one of their vases had also been stolen while another described the state of the cemetery as 'appalling', writing: "A couple of 'workers' are let loose with a strimmer which blows grass all over the stones and plastic vases strimmed through. Shameful."
A Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) spokesperson said it was an annual policy to ask grave owners and visitors to remove all Christmas tributes and wreaths by mid February, to help with the maintenance of the gardens.
Cllr Karen Shore, CWaC's cabinet member for environment, explained: “Floral tributes are such an important part of honouring the memory of someone we have lost, and we treat all such items with care and respect.
“There are times when we do have to remove items to make sure we maintain a safe, pleasant and dignified environment at the crematorium.
“Tributes should not pose a risk to the health and safety of visitors and staff, like fragile items which could shatter. Floral tributes should also be removed when they have perished, and our staff will remove them in this case to keep the area tidy.
“The nature of these outdoor spaces does unfortunately mean that items can be blown around in a storm and damaged, in which case we may have to remove them.
“Each year we also ask grave owners and visitors to remove all Christmas tributes and wreaths in February, this year by February 16, and we do remove items after this.
"This allows grass cutting to take place from early March and helps us to maintain our gardens as peaceful, contemplative areas," she added.
