A YOUNG mum’s flat was cleared of her possessions including an urn with her dead son’s ashes.
The beige and cream urn, engraved with a teddy and paws, was in her Grimsby flat and was dumped at the town’s tip about three weeks ago.
Sophie Bampton, 24, left the property – which is managed by the charity Doorstep – because of threats from a former partner.
She claims the charity organised a clearance without checking with her.
When she was provided with alternative accommodation by the charity she returned on a number of occasions to pick up some of her belongings, with the help of a support worker.
Remaining on a window ledge was the urn in which she kept the ashes of her son who she miscarried in March this year.
There were also mementos from the maternity hospital of when her daughter was born and some clothing.
Sophie has a four-year-old daughter and is now expecting twins to be born in June next year.
The devastated woman said she still holds out some hope that the urn may have been retrieved on the way to, or at the tip.
She said: “Everyone at Doorstep knew what the pot looked like. It was alongside the frame that I kept his scan photos in and there was a photo of my daughter.
“I have her, so we can make memories and the clothes I am not bothered about. But I am heartbroken that my son’s ashes have gone forever.
“They can never be replaced. There are no words to describe how it made me feel. I called a friend and was screaming and crying down the phone.
“When I had the ashes it was like he was with me.”
She added: “When I signed the tenancy form to hand back the flat there was no date about when it would be cleared and no one contacted me to ask about the things which were left there. They were just bagged up and tipped.”
Sophie said: “I am not looking for anything from this from Doorstep. I just don’t want it to happen again to anyone. They need to recognise what has happened and learn from it.
“They need to have a policy in place which states property will only be moved after a specified number of days and stored. The information should be given to the person whose flat it was and it should be clearly communicated.”
She said she intended moving out of Grimsby to “make a fresh start” and try to rebuild her life.
She told how she fell pregnant at the start of the year soon after leaving the YMCA in Grimsby. In March, having miscarried, she decided to hold a funeral service and have her son’s ashes placed in an urn for her to keep.
Since then she was grateful for the support she received from the homeless charity which provided advice and furniture.
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The charity provides practical and emotional support around independent living skills, as well as finances, health and wellbeing, social and community networks, education and training and parenting skills.
Doorstep senior manager, Julie Walmsley confirmed an investigation is underway into the incident.
However she said that no complaint has been lodged.