A father has spoken of his joy after an eleventh-hour reprieve for his son’s memorial stone.

Trevor Fennell said he was “over the moon” Bradford Council had decided the stone dedicated to his 16-year-old son Bradley could now stay in Bolton Road, Undercliffe, where it has been for the past eight years.

Bradford Council had asked 51-year-old Mr Fennell, of Wrose, to remove the memorial, with a deadline of yesterday as it wants to sell the land.

However, following a report in the Telegraph & Argus about the family’s battle to keep the stone, a compromise has been thrashed out which will allow the memorial to stay.

Mr Fennell said: “The Council has agreed we can leave the stone where it is, but the garden around it must go in the next few weeks. I am quite happy with that.

“I want to thank all the people that have helped out, especially the road safety charity Brake and the T&A. I am over the moon.”

Bradley Fennell, who was a pupil at Hanson School, died in March, 2002, when the car in which he was a passenger smashed into an old trolley-bus post in Bolton Road.

The memorial stone was erected on Council land, with its blessing on the exact spot of the accident, shortly after his death.

In the eight years since, it has become a place where Mr Fennell, and other family and friends, can visit on significant dates or whenever they want to feel close to him. They were devastated at the thought of it having to be removed to accommodate the sale of the land.

Mike Bell, the Council’s assistant director for asset management, said: “We are pleased a compromise has been found with Mr Fennell.

“The Bolton Road land sale will now be subject to a licence for the memorial stone and Mr Fennell will negotiate with the land owners regarding its possible relocation or removal once the purchase is completed.

“He has agreed to remove all other memorial items from the site.”

Caroline Perry from Brake said: “We are very pleased that the Council has been able to work with Mr Fennell to reach a temporary solution to this situation.

“Brake believes that all families should be able to mark the place where their loved ones died, and supports families where possible with roadside memorials. We know that these memorials can provide comfort to families, and that they provide a stark reminder to other drivers of the consequences of bad driving.”