A CREWE woman is demanding a public apology from cemetery chiefs after mementoes and keepsakes were tossed aside from her mother's grave.

Hailey Lumsden said she was in a state of shock after attending the family plot at Meadow Brook Cemetery in Leighton last Saturday morning when she was forced to recover the treasured items which were left scattered across other gravestones and plots by staff as they were laying a new footpath.

Other families also found their family graves in a state of chaos with mementoes strewn across other graves, soil piled up as well as the unfinished path laying.

They took to social media to slam Orbitas, Cheshire East Council's bereavement services company, for its apparent disregard to their plots.

Hailey says feels "devastated" by the disrespect shown to the family grave and is determined to speak up for her mother, Lynette, who passed away in July.

She has removed the items, including a white picket fence, and stored them in the boot of her car while she says she awaits an apology from cemetery managers.

"It took me over 10 minutes to go around finding everything that should have been on my mum's grave," she said.

"I go to her grave every day on the way home from work at Leighton Hospital. When my 14-year-old son and I went there last Saturday we thought it had been vandalised.

"They are laying a path there, but we were not told about it. I rang Orbitas up and left a voicemail but they have not been back to me."

While the families say they did not know about the work schedule, Orbitas claims that letters were sent out.

Crewe and Nantwich MP Kieran Mullan has requested an urgent meeting between the company and the aggrieved families and he wants Orbitas to apologise to them.

He said: "There is no justification to find the site in this manner - it demonstrates a complete lack of respect to those buried and their loved ones.

"Whatever the legal right Orbitas has to manage the site, its legal rights should be exercised with due care and sensitivity and the ground should be kept in a dignified state even if there are works being conducted.

"I understand a number of relatives had no notice of any changes being made to the site and that in fact a single letter at relatively short notice was sent to others rather than a proper attempt at engagement and discussion.

"These families deserve an apology and to meet with those in charge of Orbitas to hear a proper explanation of what has happened here and how nothing like this will happen again in future."

Cheshire East Council, which owns Orbitas, said: "We deeply regret the distress this may have caused to relatives and loved ones who may not have received the notification letters issued three weeks ago.

"Families were requested by letter to remove any mementos from their plots. Unfortunately, this had not been done in some instances and our contractors were left to remove these belongings themselves when they began the work to create a new pathway."