Mystery surrounds a headstone discovered in an Arnold nature reserve by a dog walker.
Gedling Borough Council were asked to investigate after the memorial was spotted in Hobbucks Nature Reserve by walker Laura Dores who was worried it might have been stolen.
She appealed for information on social media following her discovery.
She wrote: “I was walking my dog up the Hobbucks Nature Reserve, a place I walk most days with her and came across this headstone.
“I’ve never seen it before, and I hope to God it’s not been stolen, moved here and dumped.
“But, incase it has been, I’d like to raise awareness and hopefully get it back to where this baby sleeps.”
Gedling Borough Councillor for Coppice ward Henry Wheeler spotted the post and asked the authority to investigate.
A spokesman for the council quickly responded after carrying out an investigation.
They said: “We have no record, either burial or ashes, at any of our cemeteries in that ‘name’ and without a ‘date of death’ there is no other way of searching the records.
“If it had been removed from one of our cemeteries it would have been noticed, and the stone would have the name of the mason and date of installation on the back. This one doesn’t, which shows it was never approved by us.
“It may be that someone placed it up there originally with ashes as they liked the area and since then it’s been moved by ‘local children’”
The council said no ashes were found after rodding and the site doesn’t appear to have been recently dug,
“We will remove the stone and store it in the depot for safe keeping,” they added.
“We will place a laminated sign on a post in its place in the short-term stating: the memorial stone placed here has been removed and placed in storage by the landowners, having been placed without authorisation.”
The council is now appealing for information and asked the owner of the memorial to call: 0115 901 3901 to arrange for its collection.
