A number of commemorative poppies have been removed from Hale Station - as they were deemed to potentially confuse train drivers.
Large poppies have in recent years been mounted on pillars at Hale Station as part of the village's Hale Remembers period of commemoration in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday.
But Denise Laver, from Hale Civic Society, said the poppies were removed yesterday by ISS cleaning services, a contractor working for Northern Rail.
A spokesperson for Northern Rail has now told Altrincham Today that the poppies were removed because they could be "confused for a signal".
They said: "We welcome the display of poppies at our stations but these should not be in the driver’s line of sight where they may be confused for a signal and compromise both customer and railway staff safety.
"In October, we wrote to station adoption groups and other volunteer organisations connected to our estate about this issue.
"Poppies displayed in unsafe locations are therefore removed for safe keeping and returned to the appropriate adoption or volunteer group on the condition that they are displayed in a more suitable location at the station."
