YEOVIL Press has backed a petition asking council authorities to allow family and friends of murdered South Somerset woman, Catherine Wells-Burr, to leave floral tributes at the spot where her body was found.

 

Catherine, 23, (pictured) was murdered in September and her body was found in a burnt-out car in a quiet lane near Ashill on the busy A358 road between Ilminster and Taunton.

 

Her parents, Jayne and Phil, and sister Leanne, who live in Chard, along with her many friends had left flowers, photos, cards, candles and other tributes at the site as a memorial to her.

 

The police investigation is still ongoing and Catherine's body has yet to be released for burial, so the Wells-Burr hold the site in Ashill as a special and comforting place.

 

But the site was tarnished last week when a complaint was made to South Somerset District Council with claims that the cellophane on the flowers was frightening horses in a nearby field.

 

Within hours a council workman was at the site and clearing up the tributes and putting them into bin bags - just as the Wells-Burr family were arriving.

 

They quickly stopped the workman from driving off in his van and Mrs Wells-Burr had to suffer the painful indignity of rifling through bin bags to salvage what she could.

 

Yeovil Press website owner and freelance photographer, Christine Jones, was asked by the Chard and Ilminster News to meet with Catherine's relatives and friends at Ashill for a photocall to help publicise what had happened and highlight a petition which is asking for the authorities to give the Wells-Burr family permission to lay flowers there.

 

Christine said: ''It was a humbling experience. I cannot believe what the council has done; it was so evident that their actions have caused huge upset for a family which is already struggling to cope with the loss of someone so dearly loved.

 

''Mr and Mrs Wells-Burr showed great dignity in attending the photocall and I hope that they got some comfort from the fact that so many people turned up - even though the photocall was hastily arranged on Facebook the day before thanks to Catherine's good friend Adele Pitman (pictured below laying flowers at the site on Sunday, November 25).''

 

The Facebook petition is hoping to gain 5,000 signatures - so far, around 1,400 have been gained.

 

And Christine added: ''Your support would be greatly appreciated.''

 

Mrs Wells-Burr told the Chard and Ilminster News that she felt 'sick' when having to go through the bin bags.

 

''I know some of the flowers had died, but just seeing them there showed us how much Catherine was loved by so many people,'' she said. ''Every day there was something new there.''

 

 

The council told the Chard and Ilminster News that it had acted 'sympathetically' in the removal of floral tributes from the site in Thickthorn Lane, Ashill.

 

A man, meanwhile, is due to make his second court appearance tomorrow (November 29) accused of the murder of Catherine.

 

Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38, was remanded in custody when he appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court earlier today and was ordered to appear again tomorrow at Bristol Crown Court.

 

He was originally arrested following Catherine’s death in September before being released on police bail.

 

Two other people, Rafal Nowak and Anna Julia Laqwinowicz, are also awaiting trial charged with conspiracy to murder Catherine, although that charge could change to the more serious allegation of murder.