VANESSA Meredith is furious after council workmen removed her late mother's memorial vase just weeks before the tenth anniversary of her death.

Vanessa and her family kept the inscribed vase on the plot where Florence Jarvis's ashes are buried at Woodvale Crematorium, Brighton.

It has been there since her death at 63 in December, 1988.

The ashes of Vanessa's father Ernest, who died in April aged 72, are buried in an adjoining plot.

But now the council says that vases and pots do not fit in with plans to create a simple woodland setting at the crematorium.

Vanessa, 31, of Auckland Drive, Bevendean, and her family paid £50 to keep a plot of land at Woodvale for ten years.

She said: "My brother went up there to lay some flowers with the children.

"When he saw the vase was missing he couldn't believe it.

"The older children were very close to their nan and felt extremely upset."

Brighton and Hove Council has removed all the vases from the garden of rest at Woodvale.

Aspokeswoman said: "This is a spot we are trying to naturalise.

"We don't want loads of pots around because this is supposed to be a woodland area.

"We have received a lot of complaints from people who want it kept as woodland.

"We sent out a letter to ask people to remove pots within a two-week period and posted notices telling them about the regulations."

But Vanessa said: "Vases commemorating people have been at Woodvale for at least ten years and there haven't been any problems.

"These vases are only little and don't damage the natural feel of the place."

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