William Collins: Giant memorial will need to be changed, council says - BBC News
Sheffield City Council says the giant tribute to William Collins is different from plans it approved.
The memorial to William Collins appeared at Shiregreen Cemetery in Sheffield about a week ago

Relatives who erected a huge marble memorial to a late father-of-nine will be asked to make changes to the monument.

The pearlescent tribute to William Collins, replete with solar-powered jukebox, has been installed at Sheffield's Shiregreen Cemetery.

It boasts two-life sized statues of Mr Collins, who died in Spain in 2020.

Sheffield City Council said it gave consent for a memorial but the final product differed from plans approved.

It said it planned to discuss the issue with the Collins family directly.

Mr Collins, 49, was born in Athlone in County Westmeath, Ireland, and died on the island of Majorca on 7 July 2020, according to the memorial.

Multiple videos of the headstone gained millions of views on TikTok, with the jukebox said to play some of Mr Collins' favourite songs

Councillor Alison Teal, executive member for sustainable neighbourhoods, wellbeing, parks and leisure, had first said the memorial was built without permission and the council was considering what action to take.

In a fresh statement, she confirmed the council had approved plans for a memorial.

"However the plans which were submitted and approved differ from the memorial now in place," she said.

"This was not fully appreciated until after the structure was fully unveiled."

She said the council had approached the family to discuss changes "which need to be made in order to satisfy the cemetery rules and take into consideration other cemetery users".

The councillor declined to comment further as the authority wished to the speak to the Collins family directly about this "sensitive matter".

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