Grieving parents have been banned from installing a plaque in memory of their daughter after complaints that such tributes were 'too depressing'.
Tony and Julie Fuller, from Sunbury in Surrey planted a tree in Cedars Park after their 28-year-old daughter Samantha died from Wegener's granulomatosis, a condition where the immune system attacks itself.
The couple wanted to place a plaque with the tree but were left devastated after being told that Spelthorne Borough Council will no longer permit memorial plaques - because 'lots' of people had complained that they were depressing.
Tony told his local paper: "Sam was our only daughter. She meant the world to me and she probably meant more to her mother.
"You can't even describe the idea of losing a child. You have to love them completely and make sure you hug them every day.
"I rang to ask if we could have a tree and how we could go about it. But we were told we couldn't have a plaque as the council is no longer allowing them.
"I can't see the harm in it, considering all the other plaques there are on trees and benches. I just don't believe it. I don't believe people can be so unhappy at seeing memorials."
But Jackie Taylor, head of Streetscene at the council, said: "As a result of lots of complaints that we had, we decided we would stop allowing memorial plaques to remember people.
"At the end of the day our parks and open spaces are to be used by everybody and people don't like that around every bench or tree there was another plaque remembering somebody who died.
"We don't have an issue with somebody planting a tree but it doesn't have to be there with a plaque.
"The trees are there for the people to remember for themselves and we have done the same now with memorial plaques on benches."