Fears that family tributes are spoiling a Bronte Country beauty spot will lead to a ban on benches there, and the creation of a new memorial garden in Haworth.

Penistone Hill, a Council-run park in the moorlands of Haworth, has become a popular spot for people to place benches and plants in memory of loved ones.

But with the number of memorials steadily increasing, there were fears that the beauty spot could become cluttered with furniture and that alien plant species could harm the moorland.

Bradford Council is now teaming up with the Friends of Haworth Park to create a memorial garden at Haworth Park.

Work is due to begin in the autumn, and the Council will ban any new benches at the country park – directing families instead to the memorial garden.

Penistone Hill is on the walk between Haworth and Top Withens, the landscape that inspired Wuthering Heights.

Ward councillors have donated £2,000 to the scheme, which will be created at the park entrance on Bridgehouse Lane. It will include benches, memorial plaques, flower beds and trees.

Phil Barker, Bradford Council’s assistant director for leisure services, said: “Over time a number of memorials to deceased family and friends have appeared at Penistone Hill Country Park. Often these are either in the form of trees, shrubs and flowers and on occasion we don’t even know that they have been planted as memorials, which can cause distress if they have to be removed for land management or ecological reasons.

“Whilst we acknowledge that some people do like to mark their loved ones’ favourite places in this way we want to make sure that we preserve the natural beauty of the country park for future generations to continue to enjoy.”

Worth Valley councillor Glen Miller said: “I didn’t think it was a problem until I went up there and saw some of the plants people had put there were starting to take over the local plants.”

Christine Went, heritage officer at the Bronte Society, said: “It is understandable why people do it, but it is not always suitable for moorland land like Penistone Hill to have plants and flowers planted on it.”

e-mail: chris.young@telegraphandargus.co.uk