A VICAR has insisted he can do nothing to relax Church rules which ban grieving relatives from placing mementoes on graves.

Reverend John Miller-Maskell has warned parishioners of St Peter’s Church in Chailey that artificial flowers, toys, and mementoes left on graves will be removed in accordance with regulations.

The Argus understands from a senior Diocese source that many vicars take a more relaxed view of Church rules on the matter.

But when Revered Miller-Maskell was asked whether churchwardens’ inconvenience was more important than the wishes of grieving relatives he said: “We just want to keep our churchyard tidy. We just obey the rules, take that up with the Church of England.”

The issue emerged after Rev Miller-Maskell wrote in the Chailey News: We went to the trouble of placing large noticeboards with the regulations printed on them... to help people know what was permitted and to avoid any difficulty.”

Graveyards are the private property of the Church of England and rules in Sussex are laid down by the Chancellor of the Diocese of Chichester, senior barrister Mark Hill QC. They were last reviewed in 2014.

Rev Miller-Maskell continued: “I am appealing to those that use the graveyards to desist from placing artificial and silk flowers plus other items that are contrary to the regulations on the graves.

“We have no wish to upset anyone and my churchwardens and I find it a very unpleasant duty when we have to remove the items from the graves. It would benefit all concerned if they were not put there in the first place.”

He has given parishioners until August to remove such items.

June Ryan, 65, who volunteers at the church as a cleaner, said: “I haven’t got a problem with letting people leave things.

“It’s a token of saying, ‘you’re still in my heart’.

“I don’t see the problem with picking up the fake flowers and moving them, but when we’ve got windmills and signs, it does become a bit difficult. People do sometimes overdo it.”

A black sack full of artificial flowers was found under a bench in the church yesterday.

Two three-foot signs, with the word “PROHIBITIONS” in large red text, are situated at the entrance to the small thirteenth-century churchyard and among the graves, informing visitors of the rules.

Among the banned items are memorials with photographs, toys and mementoes, the use of ‘pet names’ (although it is not clear whether this only applies to graves or whether a card addressed to “Puppy” would be destroyed) and artificial flowers.