Mother made to move red rose tribute to dead son

A GRIEVING mother has been told by the Environment Department to remove a single red rose placed under her son's memorial bench.

Dorcas Woodland was devastated when she received a warning letter on what would have been son Daniel Pleisch's 28th birthday.

It said that a number of complaints had been made and asked that the items - flowers and a candle - be removed from the bench at Bordeaux as soon as possible.

There was also a small collection of shells left by Daniel's two children, India, 7, and four-year-old Kaion.

'I couldn't believe what a fuss was made about a couple of little shells and a flower that his children left.

'I had a red rose to take there that day, but after I read that letter, I was afraid to leave anything,' said Mrs Woodland.

A rose she left on Valentine's Day was still under the bench, barely visible through the grass.

Mr Pleisch, a self-employed gardener, was 24 when he died following a motorcycle accident on 12 October 2005.

• The Environment Department said it regretted it was unable to respond fully to the points raised by Mrs Woodland in the time available before this story went to print. The department said it would comment shortly and give information on the standard conditions attached to the installation of memorial benches on the coastal lands that Environment manages on behalf of the Crown and the States.