A grieving father has said he wants his baby daughter exhumed after council workers removed her memorial and dumped it in a skip.
Valencia was stillborn last June after mum Keelie Walker caught Covid while pregnant, and she was buried in Mill Lane Cemetery in Cheadle. Dad Ryan Stokes said he was told the family could create a memorial within 1ft of the burial site, which the family did.
But on Tuesday they arrived to find the site cleared, and their possessions had been dumped in a skip.
“It’s disgusting,” Ryan 35, told the Manchester Evening News . “I was told I [could] go a foot out. She has only been there for six months. I am just over a foot out [from my plot] and they have taken the lot out and thrown it in a skip.”
Ryan said he wants to see Valencia's grave exhumed. He explained: "I want to have my baby moved. I want her dug up."
“That was our beautiful little place,” Ryan said. “We take our children to see their little sister. Our lives have never been the same. My partner has had postnatal depression. It still feels as fresh as anything. It has put our anxiety through the roof.”
Stockport Council said the 'lawned' nature of the cemetery was made 'clear' in 'a welcome pack' issued to every grave owner.
A statement added: "The area where this burial has taken place is the baby memorial garden. It was developed in conjunction with Stockport SANDS. It was always intended to be kept as a lawned design and this was agreed with Stockport SANDS. Everyone is sent a welcome pack making this clear.
"We understand that this is an extremely sensitive issue and as such, we have worked hard with all the families affected and given them notice to remove their items. In this case, we wrote to the grave owner on December 3, 2021 and February 1, 2022 asking that the garden is removed.
"This grave is the only one in this area where a small garden has been set out and we have never given permission for this and there is also no agreement to leave tributes outside of the boundary. The work was carried out to ensure that the lawned appearance of the cemetery can be maintained in line with the wishes of the majority of grave owners."
