GRIEVING relatives have criticised Maidstone council officials after being told to remove floral tributes from the graves of their loved ones.

Council contractors claimed they were having trouble getting their mowers round the plots and relatives were breaking strict graveyard guidelines.

Jennifer Hooper, 51, of Leicester Road, Maidstone, received a letter from the council saying the flowers on her mother's grave would have to go.

Miss Hooper met a council officer at the cemetery off Sutton Road to discuss the problem and was told she was one of many relatives being contacted.

She said the officer told her the council wanted the graves to have a single vase of flowers on. The small piece of earth in front of the grave that was adorned with flowers would be covered with bark chippings.

Miss Hooper said: "We were told that we can't have fresh flowers or bulbs or synthetic flowers actually on the grave and that if I didn't remove them they would. I have a big family and how can they put all their flowers in one fase? "

The lawn graves have about a foot of earth in front of the headstone. Miss Hooper and her family have adorned the border with flowers for years without any complaints.

Miss Hooper added: "When you bury your parents you expect them to rest in peace. You don't expect all this."

Friend Carol Calverley, 49, of Shepway, whose father's grave has got to be cleared as well, added: "This is just putting us through grief again. It's disgusting. If I could remove my father and bury him somewhere else I would.

"There's a child's grave close to my father's. It's been made really pretty with edging and lots of artificial flowers, but they've been notified as well that they'll have to remove the lot."

A council spokesman said: "The council wants to make sure the cemetery looks as good as possible for grave owners and visitors. Owners can help by keeping to the agreement they have with the council. The terms of which allow our contractor to cut the grass and maintain the cemetery in the best possible condition.

"We try to be as flexible as possible but whenever there is a problem for our contractor or a concern by a member of the public we write to the owner or owners to remind them of the agreement. On the last occasion we had to write to 23 people in one area to help our contractor maintain the cemetery."

The regulations date back about 150 years.