A WOMAN said she was left “crying on the phone” to Conwy County Borough Council after learning that chairs in memory of her late daughters face being removed from Llanrhos Lawn Cemetery.

Regina Davies, 63, from Llandudno, has two chairs in the cemetery to remember her daughters Kimberley, who died aged 17 months in 1983, and Melanie, who died aged 33 in 2015.

But earlier this week, she found that a sign had been placed on the chairs, stating: “We are requesting the owner of these seats please contact the bereavement service team on 01492 577733”.

It transpired, Regina said, that she will either have to pay the council £1,000 each to keep both chairs, or they will be removed.

The sign left on one of the memorial chairsThe sign left on one of the memorial chairs (Image: Regina Davies)

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Conwy County Borough Council apologised for any distress caused but said families are not permitted to install their own furniture at its cemeteries.

The council said it has offered to work with her family, and confirmed that a small ornamental seat can stay in place.

Regina said: “It’s never about the money. It’s about having chairs or benches for people to enjoy.

“Its not just for me, either; it’s for Melanie’s children. They often go up there and see her. It’s hard on them, they lost her at such a young age, and they still continue to go up there.

“They basically want to remove two good, solid chairs, but whenever my chairs or benches have deteriorated, I’ve always replaced them.

“We’re not in a position to pay that sort of money; I don’t think anybody is.

“What have I done so wrong in my life that the council feel they have to do this to me? I was crying on the phone to the them, saying: ‘How can you do this?’”

“It’s heart-breaking that something that has given people so much pleasure is now going to cost me a lot of money which I can’t afford.”

Regina's two memorial chairsRegina's two memorial chairs (Image: Regina Davies)

In response to Regina’s comments, Conwy County Borough Council said its actions come following complaints about the condition of the cemetery from visitors.

A council spokesperson said: “We appreciate this is a sensitive and emotive issue, and we’re sorry for any distress this has caused to this family.

“We have received complaints from visitors about the condition of Llanrhos Cemetery, some of these related to maintenance we carry out, and some were about unauthorised memorials.

“We are taking action to remedy these issues, which includes reviewing what is permitted, and reinforcing the rules on memorial items.

“We do not permit families to install their own furniture at our cemetery sites. This is standard safety practice across the country, because we have a duty to keep our cemeteries safe for all visitors and staff.

“We do offer a memorial bench option at our cemeteries, and families with unauthorised benches are welcome to purchase a replacement.

“These benches are solid teak, hard-wearing and guaranteed for 10 years. The cost of £1,000 includes the price of the bench, memorial plaque, concrete foundation slabs and installation to our safety specifications.

“These benches usually last in good condition for over 20 years.

“We’ve offered to work with the family to arrange an authorised replacement bench, and we have confirmed that a small ornamental seat can remain in place.”