A disgruntled widower has decided to continue placing flowers on his wife’s memorial bench despite being informed he can only do so twice a year.
Daffodils were planted by Peter Lake, 93, in honor of his late wife Sheila, who died in May.
He later noticed they had been removed by maintenance workers who apologized but explained that they were simply doing their duties.
Family and friends can only lay floral tributes on their loved ones’ benches twice a year, according to Tenterden Town Council in Kent.
Following public outcry over a previous policy of only paying one tribute every year, the council softened its stance in December.
Many people are ‘uncomfortable’ sitting on a seat with flowers tied to it, according to the council, and floral tributes are frequently left to wither and perish.
Mr. Lake told Kent Online that he intends to continue breaking the law and that on Mother’s Day, he planned to leave flowers on the bench beside a placard stating that the municipality would remove the homage.
Mr. Lake added, “That will make people aware of what the council is doing and get people discussing.”
He questioned why the city council couldn’t adopt a policy of simply removing dead flowers.
Chris Patterson, 63, whose spouse Colin died in 2017 at the age of 66 from a brain aneurysm, promised to fight the regulation last month, calling it “heavy-handed.”
Many mourners believed they owned the memorial benches after paying hundreds of pounds for them, but they were later informed that they were town council property.
“First and foremost, we fully recognize that laying flowers on memorial benches is a highly sensitive matter, which is why we reassessed our earlier decision,” a spokesman for Tenterden Town Council stated.
‘We have agreed that flowers can be placed on benches twice a year, on the anniversary of a loved one’s birth and death, and we have been encouraged by the positive feedback we have received from local residents who support our policy.’