A WIDOWER claims his wife's grave has been desecrated because her memorial stone has been moved from its resting place.

Ron Paterson says the memorial has been in place for five years over the ashes of his wife, Joan, which are buried at Malton Cemetery.

But when he visited the site last week he was horrified to find the memorial had been moved without his permission.

He claims Malton Town Council, which oversees the running of the cemetery, has caused him and others unnecessary heartache.

"I went to the cemetery to tend to my wife's grave," he said.

"When I went to her graveside I couldn't believe what they had done - where Joan's stone had been there was just a hole.

"At first I thought it was vandals, but then I saw the gravestones had been placed on a far wall. The ashes are still in the ground where they should be, but they are not under the memorial stones.

"No one had consulted me about what they had planned or asked me my permission.

"I think it is disgraceful. The council should put the gravestones back where they belong - we just want our loved ones to rest in peace."

And Mr Paterson says he is not alone - more than 50 other stones have been moved.

"A lady I know goes to the cemetery to visit the grave site of her husband, and she was in a terrible state when she found out they had moved the stone," he said.

"I have written to the council asking them to put them back in their rightful place."

But the clerk to Malton Town Council, Gerry Cheetham, said the reason the stones had been moved was that they should not have been there in the first place.

"The council decided in September 1992 that no memorial stone for cremations should disturb the grass which is what they were doing," Mr Cheetham said.

"The council has put them on the back wall because they had no right to put them on the grass in the first place. If this wasn't explained in the first place it should have been by their funeral directors."

Andrew Bradshaw, of SC Bainbridge Funeral Directors, in Malton, said mourners were advised that they were not allowed to place memorials over the ashes of their loved ones.

Updated: 12:11 Wednesday, July 25, 2001