A GRIEVING family has been left heartbroken after the angel statues marking their son's resting place were swept aside by the council.
The family of Leo Stevens, who died just weeks before his 17th birthday in September 2009, were shocked when the mini figurines, marking the spot where his ashes are scattered, were removed as part of a council tidy-up.
A six-inch cherub, a four-inch angel and a hanging light were all taken from around a bench dedicated to the teenager in the woodland area of Maldon Cemetery.
The items – donated by friends and loved-ones – were then piled up besides the side of the site, with no notice given to the family.
"I arrived on Sunday to paint Leo's bench and found the angels and cherubs had been piled up against the memorial wall with no respect at all," said Leo's father David Stevens, 54.
"The family have all been devastated by it. People have left these items out of respect for Leo and they form part of the memories we cherish of him. The worst part of it is the fact that nobody contacted us to let us know this was happening – there was no notice whatsoever."
Leo, a former Plume School pupil, had been studying carpentry at college when he died of heart failure three and a half years ago.
"He just got up that morning, phoned his girlfriend and put the rubbish out and then suffered the heart failure – it was so sudden," his father added.
"He was such a popular, active guy before it happened and so many of his friends now regularly visit the site to sit on the bench and think about him.
"One of his best friends recently told his new girlfriend he wanted to take her to the site to introduce her to Leo – they're all heartbroken too."
The family has contacted Maldon District Council, who own the woodland area, but claim an officer showed them no sympathy at all and said it was part of a planned clear-up.
A spokesperson for the council said: "The Woodland Glades area in the Maldon Cemetery is a natural burial site, where wildlife is encouraged to grow and headstones are not allowed.
"Plaques and benches are allowed in certain parts of the Woodland Glades but no other memorials such as cherubs and wind chimes are allowed.
"The council makes it very clear how the site is managed when families enquire about the Woodland Glades.
"All tributes left in the Woodland Glades area are placed at the memorial wall which was designed for that purpose.
"We are sorry if the removal of these memorials has been distressing for the family. However, it is also upsetting for the other families who wish to keep the Woodland Glades as an environmental and ecological area, as it was intended to be."
