Dad says plans to remove memorial to baby killed in A10 crash in Cambridgeshire is 'disrespectful'

Flowers left in tribute to a baby boy killed as he was pushed along the A10 are set to be removed over safety fears.

Louis Thorold was just five months old when his pram was hit by a van at Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire in January 2021.

Since then, people living nearby have created a memorial at the corner of the A10 and Car Dyke Road, planting flowers to remember the infant.

Cambridgeshire County Council has now given notice that it plans to remove the tributes.

While acknowledging that memorials "can be an important way to pay tribute to the deceased and the road safety cause", the council said concerns had been raised "that this roadside tribute is a potential road-safety risk, as it is a distraction to road users and could encourage repeat visits by bereaved friends and relatives".

Chris Thorold, Louis' dad, said the authority had emailed the family to warn them of the decision and the reasons behind it.

But he said he thought it was "disrespectful" to the community who had created the memorial.

"We think, and lots of other people think, having this there is a fitting tribute from the community to Louis but also actually makes people think 'I'm going to slow down and pay more care and attention'," he said.

"I think it's slightly disrespectful to [the community] to be suggesting this is dangerous and this should be removed. There are so many more dangerous things and so many more dangerous situations that the council isn't dealing with."

In a statement, Cambridgeshire County Council said it had been trying to make contact with the people who had created the memorial.

"We would like to work with them and the family to discuss the memorial and the potential for a new location, which could offer a safer place for people to reflect and remember Louis," a spokesman said.

Last summer, 75-year-old Shelagh Robertson was cleared of causing death by careless driving on the grounds of insanity, after a jury decided her undiagnosed dementia had affected her driving.

Ms Robertson, who admitted causing the crash, had pulled into the path of the van, causing it to mount the pavement and hit Louis and his mother Rachael Thorold.

Mrs Thorold was seriously injured and was in a coma for 10 days.

Since the crash, Louis's family has campaigned to improve safety on the A10, helping to bring in lower speed limits, change the junction and install a pedestrian crossing.

Mr Thorold said that work had "fundamentally made the road safer" and he did not feel the memorial undermined that.

The added that the foundation set up in memory of Louis was in discussion with central government about changes to the licensing rules for older people - and calls for independent medical checks for aging drivers.

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