They were planted as a living tribute to lost loved ones. While headstones faded they grew taller, keeping memories alive.

But now families have been told the trees they planted in a graveyard as a mark of respect face the chop.

Notices have been pinned to about 20 trees at St Andrew's Church, Burgess Hill, announcing they have been earmarked for the axe by a visiting archdeacon.

The notices read: "St Andrew's Church gives notice that this tree will be cut down and/or removed."

The trend of planting trees in the graveyard off Junction Road has become so popular that roots now threaten to undermine the headstones.

The trees range in height from about 1ft to 12ft and some are so close together they are competing for survival.

The church is doing everything it can to inform relatives about the proposed cull but there is no record of which tree was planted in honour of whom.

There are fears family members will not know their tree has been felled until it is too late.

Only one tree has an acknowledgement - a notice from the family who put it there, saying they would remove it themselves.

The vicar of St Andrew's, the Reverend Ian Prior, said the Archdeacon of Horsham, the Venerable Roger Combes, had requested the clear-out when he visited the churchyard earlier in the summer.

Mr Prior said two relatives had been in touch so far but it was hoped more would come forward.

He said: "It's very difficult as some of these go back a number of years and we don't even know if there are any living relatives."

He said the church had a responsibility to keep the churchyard in good order and trees growing among the stones were slowly changing the character of the spot.

One woman whose brother had a tree planted in his memory said: "I think they are right to do it, otherwise the trees would overshadow everything.

"I had already suggested to my sister-in-law that the tops should be cut off because some of them were growing so tall but it wasn't me that planted it so it's not up to me."

Mr Prior said people were supposed to ask permission from him before planting trees.

He added: "I can't go round checking what people are doing with relatives' graves and I wouldn't want to but there are regulations for a reason."

Churchwarden Carol Smethurst said: "If everyone planted a tree instead of a gravestone we would end up with a wood instead of a graveyard."