FAMILY members have hit out after mementoes placed on their mother’s memorial were removed.

A small fairy figurine and a vase were taken from former Rose Hill resident Alice Menzies’s plot at Oxford Crematorium, because they did not conform with its rules.

Only flowers, pot plants or “high quality” artificial flowers can be left on memorials, a spokesman for the crematorium said.

Alice’s husband Jim, son James and daughter Alison claim they were not told warned about the items’ removal and have called for a change in the rules.

Mrs Menzies died in 2002, aged 57.

James, 38, of Beaumont Street, Oxford, said: “It’s an outrageous situation when families can no longer leave small, personal items.

“The figurine was not religious or ostentatious in any way.

“It was simply a small item which was extremely personal to the memory of my mother.

“I know for a fact that items have also been removed from other memorials nearby, which is disgraceful.

“What possible reason could the cemetery have for not allowing them?”

The crematorium, in Bayswater Road, Barton, is privately owned by Dignity Funerals, of Sutton Coldfield, in the West Midlands.

Author Iris Murdoch, whose ashes were scattered in the rose garden following her death in 1999, is one of a number of famous names associated with the site.

Mr Menzies, a facilities officer at Oxford University, added: “I would urge the company to rethink its ruling immediately.

“There seems to be no point to the decision and it will cause a lot of hurt to many people in mourning.”

Dignity spokesman Stuart Cox said the crematorium had tried to contact the family, adding the items were being kept safe and could be collected at any time.

He said: “We sincerely regret any misunderstanding or distress that has been experienced by this family.

“However, we have received complaints from other families about the number of mementos being left in the memorial gardens.

“We ask that only flowers, pot plants or high quality artificial flowers are placed as a tribute to their loved one.

He added: “We have tried to contact the family in writing several times to express our concerns and requested they remove the mementoes within eight weeks.

“In these letters we would have advised the family of a date that we would remove their mementoes and keep them in a safe place if they chose not to do this themselves.”

dhearn@oxfordmail.co.uk