David Fell is among 100 people with loved ones buried in Mansfield Cemetery who have been sent letters telling them to remove items not on the headstone base.

Council chiefs say the items create a hazard for people visiting the Nottingham Road cemetery and prevent them cutting the grass — but Mr Fell said the rules are petty and unnecessary.

He told Chad: "I am a health and safety consultant and it is absolute rubbish. I maintain the grave absolutely perfectly. It is upsetting and not necessary. Where does common sense come into it?

"They are saying it is difficult with maintenance. They don't mow around the headstones anyway. We maintain the rows ourselves not the cemetery staff.

"When you go to these places, that is what you expect to find. It is only a hazard if it is something out of the ordinary.

"Think of the expense and time that somebody has spent going round every grave and sending letters out. It seems petty beyond belief. Some people will be devastated by this. Time heals things but for some people it is going to be very raw for them."

His son, also called David, died in a motorcycle accident in September 2005 at the age of 26 and Mr Fell said the vase only took up two inches of space on the grass.

Complaints

But a spokesman for Mansfield Cemetery said the letters had been sent out after complaints by members of the public, who said it was awkward to get around because of ornaments on graves, and stressed cemetery rules were being breached.

She said: "The rules regarding ornaments have been relaxed in recent years and there are now greater freedoms in this regard than in the past.

"However, we do have to draw the line somewhere and we must be fair and consistent in enforcing the regulations. Everyone who received a letter has a signed agreement with the council regarding their right of burial, including a short list of cemetery rules.

"By writing out to people we are simply and politely asking them to abide by this agreement."