Father told to remove roadside memorial for dead son

Trevor Fennell has asked Bradford Council to allow the stone memorial to remain where it is but the authority says it must be taken away by tomorrow.

The council says the memorial stone must be removed because it needs the land in Bolton Road, Undercliffe, for housing.

Mr Fennell's only son, Bradley, was 16 when he died in March 2002. The car in which he was a passenger crashed into a post.

Mr Fennell, 51, of Wrose, Bradford, has visited the memorial regularly since it was put up, with council permission, at the location of the crash.

He says that the site means so much to him because it is the spot where it happened. At Christmas family members put up a tree and in summer they place flowers there and also visit the spot on his birthday.

Mr Fennell was served with a notice on September 29 telling him to remove his "personal belongings" so the authority can proceed with disposal of the land.

But he says the land behind the memorial is derelict.

Almost 2,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the memorial to stay.

The council said Mr Fennell had been informed in August that the land was now required for housing.

In a statement, the council's assistant director for asset management, Mike Bell, said: "In recognition of the tragic loss of Mr Fennell's son, the council granted a temporary licence in 2002 to allow the provision of a memorial on its land at Bolton Road.

"The licence agreed by Mr Fennell's family expired after six months but has been allowed to continue informally.

"We notified Mr Fennell in August that the land was now required for housing and that the memorial stone would have to be moved.

"Formal notice was issued on September 29 that the stone should be removed by October 29.

"This is obviously a very sensitive issue and we have every sympathy for Mr Fennell and his family."