A grieving mother has won the fight against a council to keep a fence around her baby's grave.

After months of battling with Folkestone and Hythe District Council, Hollie Bourne from Folkestone has been allowed to keep the white fence around baby Ava Guzman-Bourne's grave at Hawkinge Cemetery.

Miss Bourne says she is "over the moon" with the decision after she received a call at lunchtime from the authority.

She said: "I want the world to know!

"Not only has Ava got her fence now, but all of the future babies who will sadly follow will be allowed to keep their fences.

"I'm just so happy."

Miss Bourne has been debating with the council for almost a year to keep Ava's grave fence.

When she went to the funeral directors to see Ava after she died during a difficult birth in July 2021, she signed a letter stating she would not put up a fence around her daughter’s plot.

The family had never been to the baby garden before, so signed the declaration assuming that no other plots would have fences.

But Miss Bourne said she was "overwhelmed with the amount of fences that were in the baby garden".

“We started to question why others had fences and Ava wasn't allowed one," the 23-year-old explained.

But today, the end of her battle has come as the council have agreed for Ava's fence to stay.

"I thought this would be an ongoing battle, I didn't see an end to it.

"I never thought this day would come.

"I can click the declare victory button on her petition, it just blows my mind.

"There's no words, it was a rough pregnancy but I said to my mum, Ava's going to change the world one day and she's not here to do it so I'm doing it for her, we all are.

"No parent should have to bury their child."

Tomorrow, the mother had planned a protest to keep Ava's fence, but now there will be a celebration.

"I had actually forgotten what feeling happy felt like and now it's overwhelming, I have not been this happy in such a long time.

"Yes I know it doesn't bring Ava back but this is what we fight for.

"It's just incredible. Since everything happened with Ava I haven't felt complete because she should be with us but knowing she can keep her fence it makes me feel complete.

"She can actually be free now, and I can actually feel comfort. I won't have to worry about her fence being gone."