ROADSIDE MEMORIALS TO BE TAKEN AWAY

Councillor Matthew Lock, Lead Cabinet Member for Transport & Environment, said: 'This is a highly sensitive issue both for families who lose a loved one and for local people living near the scene of an accident.

'This is not a decision we have taken lightly: we do not want to stop people grieving, or ban flowers at the site of accidents, but we do want to manage it more effectively for road safety reasons.

'This means moving away from having permanent memorial sites at the side of the road, which could be distracting for drivers and dangerous for people visiting them to get to. They can also cause difficulty and be dangerous for our highways teams when they are maintaining roads and verges.'

Adoption of the policy means that after 12 weeks, tributes and memorials must be removed. Local residents who were involved in the accident or living near the scene of the accident will also be able to have a say in where flowers are put during the 12 weeks.

The county council has pledged that it will work with families to look at suitable places where permanent memorials, such as a tree or bench, could be put safely.