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Jobsworth council bosses have ordered a grieving widow to remove personal inscriptions on her late husband's gravestone - as it includes a Sudoku puzzle.

Angela Robinson was left stunned when she was told the numbers teaser and a separate maths equation must be erased from the headstone.

The messages were a tribute to her late husband Allan, who died in May last year aged 66, and who worked as a mathematician.

But council chiefs have bizarrely ruled the inscriptions lower the standards of the churchyard.

Ms Robinson, from Chester, Cheshire, said: "It’s completely unnecessary.

"We are talking about a two inch square Sudoku puzzle and a one line mathematical equation because my husband was a mathematician and did a lot of Sudoku puzzles.

"He was a bit of a fanatic but this is personal to him. How can they possibly say what we have put on there is lowering standards?”

Mr Robinson's son Paul added: "In what way is this remotely offensive, of concern or even matters in any way?

"Jobsworth springs to mind!

"It is a very personal memorial that surely would not cause any harm, regardless of petty rules.

"He was an avid Sudoku fan and the equation merely a tiny extract from his PhD thesis in mathematics.

"It is a very fitting tribute to a very intelligent and law-abiding person."

Farndon Parish Council, who wrote to Ms Robinson and incorrectly spelt her husband's name as ' Mr Allen', said the engravings were ‘contrary to the guidelines for headstone inscriptions’ provided to all stone masons who were obliged to submit a draft copy of the proposals before installation.

Clerk Suzi Pollard added: “The councillors understand that this is a sensitive and upsetting issue, however, they must ensure that the standards of the burial ground are kept high for the benefit of all.

"Please make immediate arrangements with the stone mason to comply with the guidelines.”