Bereaved family members say they are losing their ability to grieve after discovering their loved ones’ graves will be turfed over.

The cemetery behind All Saints Church in Iwade opened in 2021 and the first burial was in May 2022.

The site in Church Street was designed to be a lawned cemetery and now the ground has had a year to settle, the graves will be turfed over.

But within those 12 months people have displayed tributes, left flowers and memorabilia in front of the headstones of their family and friends who are buried at the site. These will all be lost.

The news has left many people heartbroken after spending a lot of time and care on their loved ones’ final resting places.

Phoebe Coburn is local to Iwade and visits the site daily since her husband died in December.

The 44-year-old said: “We come up here because it gives us comfort. The only thing left we can do for them is lay flowers and look after their grave.

“We need to be able to grieve, to see the grave so we can see where they are buried and visit them as we intended.

“They should have told us, then it would have been our choice whether or not he would be buried here.”

Regulations for the cemetery, written by Swale Borough Council, say all graves are to be turfed over leaving only a headstone and an optional vase plinth in the gravel area to indicate where the grave is.

It reads: “There is the option of a vase plinth being added to the memorial but nothing should be placed in the buried section which will be maintained as a lawn only for ease of maintenance and for a more uniform visual appearance at this site.

“Any unauthorised items will be removed. It is not permitted to install any surround or structure at this site and there should be no planting.”

But at least 20 people who visit the site say they were never made aware of these regulations and 11 different funeral directors claimed they were not aware of the restrictions when they worked with the bereaved families.

Tyron Ross, from Aylesham, buried his mother on January 5 but only discovered the regulations three days later after he spoke to others tending to loved one’s graves when he visited.

The 54-year-old said: “It’s a comfort to know they’re there. We look after it because we want to.

“I feel bad for the parents of the children buried here. One of them is distraught she doesn’t know what to do.

Dorothy Ransom, from Minster, Sheerness buried her mother in October last year but was only made aware of the plan when meeting Tyron.

The 76-year-old said: “Personally I think it’s disrespectful. We’ll only have a headstone and vase and no visible grave.

“I think if we were told at the beginning it’d be different but now I feel we’re being bullied by the council to follow this along.”

The sign at the entrance of the graveyard contradicts the regulations as it highlights how memorials can be left on the site.

It says: ”Memorials and tributes must be placed within the designated area of each grave.”

The group have since banded together and have weighed options to voice their concerns, even reaching out to Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Gordon Henderson (Con) and Dover and Deal MP Natalie Elphicke (Con) to get involved.

Mr Henderson said: “I was contacted by a number of constituents complaining about the situation with the Iwade Cemetery and I raised the issue with Swale Borough Council.

“The Council insists that it was always planned for Iwade to be a lawn cemetery and this was relayed to the local funeral directors. It seems this information was not passed on by some of the funeral directors to bereaved families.

“The Council has committed to reminding funeral directors of Iwade Cemetery’s status.

“Meanwhile, I can only suggest to anybody else who does not want to use Iwade Cemetery that I should consider using the Harty Natural Burial Ground, which will allow families to have a memorial tree to remember their loved ones.

Mrs Elphicke said: “I completely understand how upsetting Swale Council's actions are to Mr Ross and other families. Placing flowers and tending graves is part and parcel of how we respect and cherish the memories of those we have lost. I hope that the council will rethink their position."

Swale Borough Council council spokesman said: “Iwade was designed to be a lawned cemetery, with graves being turfed over after a year when earth on the plots have settled and been topped up to level where necessary.

“This is set out in the regulations and information provided to the funeral directors who are the initial point of contact with bereaved families when booking a funeral.”

The group are considering the possibility of drafting a petition.