A WOMAN has likened the thieves who keep taking flowers at the spot where her son was killed in a motorbike crash to grave robbers.

Andy Cole died in the accident in Stratton last July and his family are devastated after floral tributes left at the scene of the accident appear to have been stolen.

Honda worker Andy, 44, was on his way home from a shift at work when his silver GSXR motorbike collided with a red Toyota Hiace van on July 5.

Since his death, his widow Karen and his parents Joy and Terry, as well as other family members, have been leaving flowers at the spot.

But two weeks ago Karen placed a dozen red roses at the scene which had disappeared by the following day. And this week Joy left a bunch of chrysanthemums, which were tied tightly to the lamppost by Terry. But they too had gone within 24 hours.

Distraught Joy, 70, of Moredon, said: “It is just so upsetting. It is the place where he took his last breath so we want to leave flowers there for him.

“We have his grave and his headstone but if we leave flowers up there the deer eat all the heads off of them, and because he took his last breath at that spot I feel I have to put flowers there every week.

“I don’t know who is taking them but we are so upset.

“We are spending money on flowers – not that I begrudge spending a penny on flowers for Andy of course, but it really is like robbing from a grave.”

Joy said the family have placed a notice at the spot with a photograph of Andy and the date on which he died, so anybody passing the flowers would know immediately why they are there.

She said that artificial flowers left at the site had not been touched, but any fresh flowers left in recent weeks had been taken away.

“It hasn’t even been a year since he died yet and we were planning to mark the year anniversary as a family by placing more fresh flowers there but I don’t know if we will now,” she said. “Whoever is doing it, I think it is just awful.”

Andy grew up in Moredon with his parents and older brother Paul. His love for motorbikes began at a young age and was a passion he shared with friends Martin Scull and Chris Murray.

He began working for Honda in 1992 where he met Karen, whose two daughters Nicole and Kelly were just three and five. This helped prepare Andy for fatherhood and when his son Liam was born in 1996, his family say he was was the perfect father.

Following his death, Karen said: “Andy was an amazing man who will never be forgotten, from his infectious laugh to his radiant smile.”

Swindon Council said it was not aware that any of its employees had removed the tributes and it would consult bereaved families before taking such action.