A man has been told to remove a 'small' plastic fence from around his wife's grave as a council stressed its 'sympathy' for grieving families.
Terence Smith, 70, visits his wife Janis-Marie's resting place at Gorleston crematorium every Sunday since her death in August 2021.
Eight months ago, he put a small plastic fence, about six inches high, around the grave.
But in early May, Great Yarmouth Borough Council (GYBC) told him to take down the fence.
"I put it up to make the grave look nice," Mr Smith said, adding that he felt "very bad" when he received the notification from the council.
He said he contacted the council about the matter but has not received a reply.
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A spokesperson for GYBC said: "We try to be as relaxed as possible and sympathetic with families because, as a council, we recognise individual circumstances differ and we understand people’s desire to memorialise the graves of their loved ones.
"There are no particular areas of the cemetery where more leniency is given."
When a burial or ash internment plot is purchased, a copy of the council's conditions and restrictions relating to memorials is provided.
The spokesperson said: "As part of our grounds checks we will identify graves and place a notification on the memorial where there are concerns that items either placed around on the plot may cause a problem for effective maintenance of the grounds, potentially impact on other graves close by or are likely to be a problem for other people accessing the cemetery.
"This is why Mr Smith had a notification about his plot, along with other plot leaseholders in the cemetery," the spokesperson added.
In the three weeks since receiving the notification, Mr Smith has neither taken down the fence nor is he planning to, he said.
Have you received a notification from the council about a grave in Great Yarmouth borough? If you have, contact daniel.hickey@newsquest.co.uk
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