The father of a son whose grave was recently destroyed has been left furious after not being allowed to make the grave look nicer following its destruction.

Mark Thornton from Milford Haven purchased a grave for his son, but several months ago it was desecrated.

"We put teddies there and flowers there, and they were taken. We have spent loads of money trying to do it up and people just wreck it."

It is currently unknown whether the destruction of the grave, along with others around a similar time frame, was as a result of vandalism or weather.

Mark said he recently went to the cemetery to make the grave look nicer, purchasing such things as soil stones, when he was told by a member of staff that he wouldn't be able to do so.

He said: "I told them to ring there manager and they said I can’t do it. I said, 'Well it’s my son's grave and I will do it,' and they said they would ring the police if I did.

"All I wanted to do was make my son's grave the way we want it and they told me I couldn’t. I’m really upset now and angry that I can’t put stones on my son's grave. My son is under there so I should be able to."

Councillor Colin Sharp, who is chairman of the cemetery maintenance and land acquisition group said: "Milford Haven Cemetery is a public cemetery that is run by Milford Haven Town Council and has procedures and policies in place to make the cemetery a safe place for all visitors and the staff who work there. When purchasing a grave, the purchaser is given full information on the terms and conditions that apply when purchasing the grave and sign to say they accept these.

"All graves have to be left for a certain amount of time to 'settle.' The grave, as stated in the terms and conditions, is shortly to be turfed. Mr Thornton had not notified us of any damage to the grave and the staff were not aware of any damage. Having investigated with the ground staff, Mr Thornton was told he could not place these stones on the grave. The police were not called and since the incident, Mr Thornton has not placed the stones on the grave and as a gesture of goodwill Milford Haven Town Council have reimbursed him these costs."