A mother who was left “heartbroken” when Buckinghamshire County Council removed roadside tributes left in memory of her 18-year-old son has called for their policy to be reviewed.

Paula Nathan has criticised the council for the way they handled the removal of the flowers, pictures and other tributes, without informing her of their exact plans in advance.

Since Lloyd Mitchell’s death in a motorcycle accident in High Wycombe last year, his family and friends have been maintaining tributes by the junction of Chestnut Avenue and Bassetsbury Lane where the crash happened.

This week in a letter to BCC cabinet member for transport, Ruth Vigor-Hedderly, Ms Nathan said: “I have tried to see the council’s policy on roadside memorials and, after great difficulty, have finally been able to read this.

“It refers to ‘situations such as this are dealt with in a sympathetic, understanding and sensitive way’ – nothing could be further from the truth.”

She added: “Your policy is 10 years old and needs to be reviewed and updated, it should also be reviewed every two years.

“You don’t have any time limitations on your policy as to how long these memorials should be left in place, some councils say until the first anniversary but there doesn’t seem to be any hard and fast rule about this.

“If this was laid out in policy it may be easier to accept and understand. You could also be advised of this early on in the grieving process, so it doesn’t come as a surprise or a shock later on.”

Last week, Ms Vigor-Hedderly apologised on the council’s behalf, citing safety concerns and neighbour complaints as the reason behind the removal.

A spokesman for Transport for Buckinghamshire – who deal with road policies – have now confirmed all of their policies are reviewed each year.

Dan Elworthy said: “To ensure they are fit for purpose, all our policies are reviewed and amended if necessary, as part of the annual business planning cycle ready to start each financial year.”