PARENTS left devastated after cemetery mementoes were binned in a council purge lobbied the Senedd yesterday to have a law introduced on grave personalisation in Wales.

The campaigners collected more than 5,000 signatures calling on council chiefs to leave children’s graves alone in Torfaen but council workers removed the ornaments this summer.

They argued that taking items such as solar lights and windmills away from children’s graves was heartless.

Yesterday the families took their fight to the Senedd to try and ensure grave personalisation, in particular for the graves of children, is the same across the country.

The campaigners collected nearly 1,500 signatures in their attempt to achieve consistency on grave personalisation in Wales.

They handed the signatures to the petitions’ committee of the Welsh assembly.

One Torfaen campaigner, Catherine Board, 39, said: ““It’s heartbreaking but we won’t give up the fight.”

Independent Torfaen Cllr Liz Haynes is helping the parents with their campaign.

She said: “I hope the petition succeeds in its aim because it will take away the heartbreak one local authority has caused.”

The petition reads: “We the undersigned, call upon Welsh Government to review the central policy with a view to bringing in new legislation or regulations so that there is consistency across local authority areas in Wales on the personalisation of graves, particularly the graves of babies and children.”

Torfaen council said its cemetery rules and regulations were under review.

The council added that windmills, wind chimes, glass items and solar lighting were not permitted within any sections of the cemeteries as they were felt by many visitors to disrupt the dignity and serenity of the cemetery environment.

A spokesman added they were often also spiked, which can cause damage to the grave membrane and glass items could also shatter.

The council seeks to write to the family of the deceased if it finds unauthorised items and stores them for collection before disposing of them.

A council spokesman said: “Our cemetery rules and regulations are under review but until a decision on any changes is made by full council we will continue to maintain the cemeteries according to the current policy.”