BENCHES placed in a Gwent cemetery in memory of loved ones are being removed by the local authority - because they are a health hazard.

Torfaen council say the drastic measure is to ensure burials can run smoothly in Panteg Cemetery, Pontypool.

More than 100 memorial benches placed by the gravesides of loved ones can be found in the cemetery.

But council chiefs insist the benches must go because they are making access to graves a problem and are also hindering the carrying out of burials.

And fears of health and safety have also been cited with some benches inappropriately staked into the ground, causing people to trip.

The council says "a high proportion" of the benches have been installed without permission, leading to overcrowding.

The benches, some in extremely poor condition, are also being blamed by the council for damage to headstones in the cemetery.

Relatives will be offered the chance to reclaim the benches placed in their loved one's name but all those not claimed, if the condition allows, after 12 weeks will be put to alternative uses.

Under the plan, what once was a memorial to a deceased relative could become a seat in one of the council's residential homes, sheltered housing schemes or other facility where elderly or disabled people would benefit from them. All bench donors, the council stresses, will be contacted by letter outlining the cut-off point to collect their memorials.

Explaining why the action was necessary, executive member for the environment in Torfaen, Councillor John Marshall, said: "The impulse to donate a bench when a loved one passes away is a very kind one - people want to feel that others will benefit from a gesture of remembrance.

"By moving unclaimed benches to locations where elderly or disabled people can use them we can make sure they are really valued."

He added: "I understand that some people may find it upsetting that the bench they donated is no longer situated near the grave of a loved one, "But we cannot let the current situation continue where headstones have been damaged and people are put at risk."

Councillor Marshall said the council will provide any future benches which would have appropriate bases and be positioned in a planned and controlled way to meet the needs of visitors to the cemetery.