‘What is permitted on graves?’

He raised the issue at Tuesday’s meeting of Causeway Coast and Glens Environmental Services Committee.

Cllr Mullan asked for clarification of policy regarding Coleraine cemetery.

Chairing the meeting, Cllr Mark Fielding stressed that assumptions could not be made that the flowers had been removed by council employees.

Director of Environmental Services Aidan McPeake said that the policies from each of the four legacy councils remained in place.

However, he stressed that there had been no instructions given to remove wreaths from graves.

Ballymoney councillor Alan McLean said that said the problem was that the legacy policies were not adhered to.

He gave an example of a lady in Ballymoney who, last year, “played by the rules” in what is supposed to be a lawn cemetery but then noticed that around 80 - 100 graves had surrounds in place.

“This is a very sensitive issue, “ he said. “Whatever we do we have to make sure we do enforce it every time.”

Mr McPeake agreed that consistency was needed and said that that he was planning a workshop with members to discuss such matters.