A grieving mum has been left devastated after council jobsworths threatened to tear down the fence around her baby's grave.
Hollie Bourne, from Folkestone, Kent, has been ordered to take down the little fence around her "beautiful baby Ava" by August 9 - or face the council tearing it down.
KentLive reported Hollie decorated her burial site with ornaments, lights, flowers, candles and balloons - as well as a little picket fence - as Ava, who tragically died on July 23 last year, would have been one.
However, the mum is again battling Folkestone and Hythe District Council over a white fence around Ava's grave in the baby garden at Hawkinge Cemetery.
Hollie says this is the second time she has had to fight the council over this as she was told they had to be removed by December 10 last year.
The council removed the fence and tributes in March this year and left Hollie in despair.
But after putting up the fence again on July 21 in readiness for Ava's birthday two days later, along with flowers, candles and ornaments, she has been told by the council to remove the fence by August 9.
If she doesn't remove the fence and items by the imposed deadline, they'll be disposed of by the council.
Hollie said: "The heartbreak I felt on Sunday was unbearable, knowing that we should be celebrating Ava's birthday and how she should be here.
"But on the 24th last year was the day we left Ava in the hospital and had to go home without her.
"It has had a massive impact on our life. Why should Ava be any different to the other babies?
"I have spoken to many people who have said that the baby garden is the most beautiful part of the cemetery because of their fences and decorations."
She said they had been told Ava would be buried in one of the new plots but just days after losing her, she was asked at the funeral directors to sign a paper stating they would not put up a fence.
"We were days into our grief. We would have signed anything to get the funeral process moving," she told us.
The letter from the council to Hollie said: "We have been made aware that items have been placed on the lawned area of the above grave."
It said the lawn area had to remain clear at all times for maintenance and grass cutting.
It also said: "We understand that this is a sensitive matter and that historically some of the older baby graves do have items on the grass that the owners were not asked to be removed at the time.
"But you were made aware by the funeral director before the funeral that this is a new plot and the cemetery regulations would need to be followed.
"You signed an agreement to this effect and were reminded of this earlier this year," it said.
It said pots of flowers or plants and small personal items could be put on the headstone channel of the grave.
The council said in line with regulations, any items left on the grave after August 9 would be disposed off without warning and not kept for collection.
After the first occasion, Hollie launched a petition against the order from the council which is still live and has amassed 3,139 signatures.
She is now asking people to join her at "Ava's garden" on August 9 to "make a stand".
She wrote: "I will do anything in my power to make sure Ava has her fence, however my power alone isn’t strong enough.
"It would mean the world to us, If we can all come together and show the council just how many people disagree with their pathetic rules, we’ve got to be able to do something."
To make matters even more painful for Hollie, on the day of Ava's funeral on August 20 last year, the family noticed most of the babies' graves in the old baby garden had "beautiful fences".
She said those families had also signed an agreement about fences, but she understands at least one mother has resisted the order.
