A mourner says he will stay by his mother's grave until the church allows him to leave artificial flowers there.

John Downes was told the silk flowers had to be removed from his late mother's grave at St Peter and St Paul's, in Water Orton in North Warwickshire by, midnight on Thursday.

But Mr Downes refused to meet the deadline and says he will remain at the graveside until the church gives in.

The church says the flowers are in bad taste and against church rules.

'Compromise hope'

Mr Downes told BBC radio WM that Friday is the anniversary of his mother's death and the flowers are extremely precious to him.

"I will stay as long as it takes.

"Hopefully there will be a compromise and maybe I could have a mixture of fresh and artificial flowers on the grave."

Mr Downes said he had been "shocked and hurt" to discover a note pinned to the gravestone by the local vicar earlier this month asking him to remove the flowers.

On Thursday, the Archdeacon of Aston, the Venerable John Barton, said the rules apply across the diocese and that the local vicar had done the right thing in upholding the regulations.