A GRIEVING mum has accused parish councillors of "desecrating" the final resting place of her daughter who was killed in a village crash nearly two years ago.

Lily Butterfield-Godwin and Abbey Rogers died after the Mazda RX8 they were travelling in hit a wall in Gosport Lane in December 2014, seeing the driver James Battrick jailed for the crime.

Now Lyndhurst Parish Council has come under fire for removing memorial artefacts from Lily's plaque at the cemetery near Bolton's Bench and failing to inform the family of their plans to do so.

Other families had raised concerns with the council that their plaques were being covered by the number of tributes to Lily.

Lily's mum Louise Butterfield said: "I was told that they had been moved into the chapel and they had not been disposed of. But then how did I know that? None of us were contacted. It's just appalling and they were so supportive before. It's just such a kick in the teeth.

"Instead of all the beautiful memorial gifts there was just a bunch of dead flowers when I visited and it just put me right back to square one.

"I don't want to offend other people laid to rest. And if someone had called me of course I would have agreed. In fact I water other people's flowers when I'm up there.

"But it's the audacity and the desecration of her final resting place. They have desecrated it and I think it is absolutely appalling."

Ms Butterfield said that the council were initially very kind and supportive after 19-year-old Lily died but that on this occasion she feels they did not make every attempt to contact the family.

Chairman of the council, councillor Helen Klaassen, said: "Following several complaints from other families who have had the memorials of their loved ones covered by the sheer amount of memorials surrounding Lily's plaque, the parish council felt obliged to remove those extra items.

"The address we held for her family was no longer valid, so those items were removed and a note left explaining what had been done and why. The note also left contact details so that the items might be returned to the family.

"The parish council wish to provide a facility where loved ones can rest in peace in tidy and respectful surroundings which enable all families to properly mourn their loved ones and do not wish disrespect to anyone, but must maintain the rules and regulations of the cemetery to afford everyone equal opportunity to grieve in a private and visually unencumbered area.

"We apologise if any offence has been caused, but hope that all concerned will understand that the families of everyone laid to rest in the cemetery must be afforded the same opportunity to enjoy the peaceful settings."