Town bans memorial benches after being overwhelmed with them

A seaside town has put a moratorium on memorial benches after installing so many that residents say they are blocking pavements.

Hartlepool has 275 benches, prompting complaints they cause issues for pushchairs and wheelchairs.

Instead, the local council wants grieving families to plant trees in honour of their loved ones.

The town’s residents (nicknamed Monkey Hangers after locals once hanged a monkey they believed was a French spy during the Napoleonic wars) are not all convinced the benches are the problem.

Daniel Matthews, 40, said his family dedicated a bench to his grandmother in the Headland area of the town.

He said: ‘It was a nice place to sit and pay tribute to her, but the bench started falling apart and eventually had to be removed.

‘I don’t think it’s fair for the council to say Hartlepool has too many of these benches.’

Memorial benches typically last around 25 years, with several in Hartlepool already falling into disrepair. Trees, by contrast, can live for centuries.

A mum described navigating the benches with a pushchair as being like a slalom.

‘Lots of these benches don’t just have a plaque either, there are sometimes photos and flowers and teddies,’ she said. ‘They’re becoming like graves rather than somewhere for people to sit on.’

Karl Barowsky, owner of Teak Garden Furniture Karl Barowsky is against the ban.

He said: ‘If you go to Hartlepool town centre, there are benches there that have been there for years that need replacing.

‘People will pay £400 for the bench, quite happily. I just don’t see the problem.’

Councillor Karen Oliver said: ‘Concerns regarding the proliferation of memorial benches were voiced by several residents during public consultations relating to conservation areas in Seaton Carew and the Headland, and a subsequent audit found a significant number of benches – particularly in these two areas but also in other parts of the borough.’

She said benches often pose problems for keeping the area tidy. The council said it will communicate with ‘suitable arrangements’ once they have been agreed.

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