Mystery surrounds headstone found at nature reserve

The origin of a headstone to a "little princess" that was discovered in a Nottinghamshire beauty spot remains a mystery, a council has said.

Gedling Borough Council was asked to investigate where the stone came from after it was spotted in Hobbucks Nature Reserve.

Laura Dores, 37, saw the memorial while walking her dog and feared it may have been stolen and dumped at the site.

The council said investigations showed the stone had been there "for a while" and there were no records of the name in its grave records.

Ms Dores said: "I was walking here on my lunch break and I didn't like the look of it, there was a pushchair next to it and I imagine kids have moved it but it's horrid.

"I hope it can be returned to where it should be, it looks like a baby grave with it being [in the shape of] a teddy bear."

Henry Wheeler, borough councillor for the Coppice ward, asked the authority to look into the headstone after seeing Ms Dores's post online.

Confirming its origin remains a "complete mystery", he said: "It's quite disturbing, it's not something you come across every day of the week, it's very unusual.

"It hasn't been identified and we don't know [where it's come from]."

He added: "We think the headstone's been put there but there's nothing in the ground.

"The council has checked their records and say there's no graves in Gedling matching the name on the stone.

"The stone has no markings on the back, which usually they would have, so we can't find out where it's come from."

In a statement, the council said social media posts suggested the stone had been there for "a while".

A spokesperson added there was no way to search its records due to there being no dates on the stone, and that it believed it might have been placed there with ashes and had been moved by "local children".

The headstone has since been removed by the landowner and is in storage.

The council says anyone wanting to claim the headstone should call its switchboard on 0115 901 3901 to arrange for its collection.

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