TADLEY Town Council has agreed to review the town's cemetery regulations following a meeting with bereaved residents.

In a letter sent out last week, the council informed residents that regulations which had been in place for some years and had been ignored, would now be enforced.

As a result, bereaved families would have to remove excessive tributes or the council would do so itself and give them to charity.

The Ambrose Allen Centre in Franklin Avenue was packed on Monday evening as residents gathered to voice their anger and devastation at receiving the letter, which they claimed was insensitively written.

After hearing the concerns, the council held a confidential meeting to determine the best way forward.

"We will be reviewing the rules and then we will go into consultation with the residents affected," said council chairman David Leeks.

"We want to come to a compromise."

Cllr Leeks could give no time-scale for the review process.

"Time is not an issue," he said. "This is an emotional subject and we want to get it right. We don't want to do something in haste and regret it later."

He added: "We apologise for the upset that the letter caused. A mistake has been made. I can't promise that we will never make a mistake again but I hope we will never make a mistake like this again."