A WOMAN has been forced to leave notes telling people to stop taking flowers left in memory of her dead mother.

Twice a week, Tracy Yates, 46, visits the memorial garden in St Peter's Church, Burnley, where her mother Eunice King’s ashes are buried. But she said 10 bunches of flowers have gone missing since March from the area at the side of the church.

Canon Tom Bill, rector of St Peter’s said he 'may have moved the odd bunch of dead flowers' in order to keep the yard in good condition, but said he did not know who had moved all of the flowers left on Mrs King’s grave.

Tracy, visited the church on Saturday with her grandson McKenzie, 7, to lay flowers. When she visited again on Sunday the flowers were still there, but by Tuesday they had disappeared.

She has now placed messages on the flowers in a bid to deter the culprits.

One letter said: "Whoever is still taking the flowers, you are really starting to hack me off. Please do not take them."

Tracy said: “Since we bought the plot we’ve had nothing but trouble. We’d had it about a month when the flowers started disappearing. I just can’t understand why somebody steals flowers from a church and especially off my mum.

"I go up there four times a week and I put the flowers in the bin if they’re dead. I would never disrespect her by leaving dead flowers there.”

Following Mrs King’s death from lung cancer last August, Tracy and her father Kenneth King bought the unmarked plot at the church where her parents were married, for £150.

Canon Bill suggested that other members of the church or the local community may have removed the flowers in order to maintain the appearance of the church.

He said: “We like to keep the church yard as neat and tidy as we can so if they have died they will be moved.

“We have never had any other complaints, the flowers go when they are past their life span and everybody is quite happy about that. Dead flowers don’t look very nice.”

The cemetery at the church has graves that are several hundred years old, and although burials are no longer carried out there relatives can pay for ashes to be buried in the garden attached to the church.

St Peter’s does not employ a gardener, and the grounds are maintained by Burnley Borough Council.

Simon Goff, Head of Green Spaces and Amenities for Burnley Council said: “We are sorry to hear that flowers have gone missing in St Peter’s Churchyard.

“We do mow and maintain this graveyard for the Church at set points throughout the year, and if flowers are moved to do so, they are replaced in exactly the same position.

“Under no circumstances would we remove flowers from a grave, or plot without informing a relative first.

“We would suggest discussing with the Church warden what steps can be taken to prevent this reoccurring.”

In response, Canon Bill said that the warden does not deal with the memorial garden.