A VICAR is threatening to confiscate garden gnomes, stone teddy bears and even photographs of relatives from churchyard graves if grieving families continue to ignore instructions to remove them.

If they are not claimed, the mementos will be stored for a month and then thrown on the council tip.

And if they continue to ignore church laws then relatives could end up in court, warns The Reverend John Rogers.

The row is looming at St Michael's Church in Tilehurst, between the Rector and around 14 bereaved families who have adorned graves of their loved ones with what he says are 'illegal and unacceptable' objects.

The crackdown is backed by the Church of England's Oxford Diocese, which has put up posters advising relatives to remove the offending items.

If they are not taken away by the end of January they will be removed, placed into storage, and then dumped on official landfill sites.

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Facing a future on the council refuse tip include framed photographs of grandparents, stone bibles and poetry books set in granite.

Many are surrounded by metal and wooden cages and fences.

Artificial flowers have also been placed on graves by relatives to thwart hungry muntjac deer breeding at a nearby golf course. The deer have developed a penchant for the plants and enjoy a feast after funerals.

The artificial floral arrangements and other unauthorised items will be removed by the Rev Rogers and his parish verger and other church stalwarts.

Artificial turf, conifers, large metal butterflies, lanterns and a variety of items have all been placed on graves at the site, which dates back 825 years.

Bereaved relatives have been known to lay offending items including large gravestones on plots after midnight in a bid to flout the church's instructions to comply with traditional rules and regulations.

Warning notices and posters have been on view for almost a year, and relatives who have complied with the vicar's wishes are angry because some families have ignored the ecclesiastical edict.

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One woman parishioner, who declined to be named, pointed to a stone statue of an embracing couple. She said: "That will have to go as well. It is not appropriate. People have been getting away with it for decades and is about time it stopped because the graves become an untidy mess after a while.

"People can be irrational when they are bereaved, and place all kids of stuff on graves, including life-sized photos of their granddad."

Mr Rogers said: "I have no wish to appear as Scrooge at Christmas, but this problem has got to be sorted out once and for all.

"Most relatives have complied with the wishes of the Diocese, and are rightly annoyed because a hardcore of about 14 families have ignored our written instructions."

Mr Rogers, who retires in two years, says he wants 'closure' of the controversy before his retirement.

He added: "It is a very sensitive problem and bereaved people can get upset. One man warned me that if I took anything from his relative's grave he would 'sort me out.'

"But placing objects on graves has got out of hand in recent times. People think they own the graves but they do not.

"The police have no jurisdiction in churchyards but the matter is covered by law, and people who disobey will find themselves before the civil courts."

The Venerable Olivia Graham, Archdeacon of Berkshire, said: "The clear-up at St Michael's, Tilehurst, is badly needed because unfortunately the churchyard regulations have not been followed for many years.

"The Diocese of Oxford – in common with the Church of England as a whole – has clear churchyard regulations which are designed to ensure that a graveyard is a place of peace and beauty for the benefit of the whole community.

"We do our best to be sensitive in the way these regulations are enforced.

"However, at St Michael's the situation has become quite out of hand, and a large number of graves sadly do not comply with the rules. This makes it extremely difficult to manage the churchyard properly.

"We are grateful to the many families who have responded positively to requests to remove items. These families are understandably upset when others will not co-operate. The Revd John Rogers has my full support in addressing the issue."