A SPECIAL council meeting has been called to discuss the cemetery tribute row which has caused uproar in Whitchurch.

Many residents have been angered by the town council's tough stand over graveside tributes in the local cemetery - first highlighted in last Friday's Gazette.

The controversy over tributes has blown up in earnest after The Gazette revealed how Alison and Paul Glendon, from Berehill Close, Whitchurch, were told to remove toys and flowers from the grave of their 10-year-old son Paul who died of cancer.

Many people have been upset by the comments made by town councillors in The Gazette last Friday and on Monday, including the statement by town mayor Norman Taylor that the couple have been "flaunting their grief" with their tributes.

Cllr Taylor this week told The Gazette he has now called an extraordinary general meeting of the council to "try to find a middle route" to the problem.

The meeting will take place on Monday at the town hall at 7.30pm, and members of the public are invited to attend.

Cllr Taylor said: "The cemetery is the only item on the agenda. Whether members of the public will be allowed to speak depends on who comes.

"The meeting we had last week was extremely difficult. The people who attended flatly refused to do anything but shout."

He added that the council will follow the standard rules which allows members of the public to ask questions and give their views during a designated interval in the meeting.

Meanwhile, Alison and Paul Glendon have organised their own public meeting to rally support over the cemetery row.

This is scheduled to take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday at Whitchurch Sports and Social Club in Winchester Road.

Alison said: "The aim of the meeting is to get everyone together and let people get their anger and upset off their chests.

"People in Whitchurch are so angry that they want someone's head for this."

Alison added: "The support I have received has been so uplifting and comforting.

"I can't walk down the street without someone coming up to me and telling me to keep going and keep my chin up. It's what's keeping me going."