Willy Collins: Controversial giant grave remains in place as row over permission rumbles on for over a year

The enormous memorial in Shiregreen Cemetery was installed in March last year, with Sheffield Council claiming its size breaches guidelines for graves in the city.

The monument was erected in tribute to 49-year-old Willy Collins, known among family and friends as ‘the King of Sheffield’. He was the patriarch of a traveller family.

The dad-of-nine collapsed and died during a holiday in Majorca in July 2020, devastating his family, who wanted him to be honoured at his final resting place.

But the 37 ton memorial has divided opinion, with some in awe at the size of the monument – rumoured to have cost £200,000 – but others outraged at the size, branding it an eyesore.

The Collins family insist permission was granted for the grave but Sheffield City Council disagree.

A council response to a request made under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that officials refused to grant permission for parts of the spectacular memorial – life size statues of Mr Collins – because they were too high. Graveside monuments are expected to be kept at under 4ft 6ins in height.

The plan was then revised and permission was granted at that stage.

But the council claims there were then additions to the memorial installed at a later date by a different, unnamed mason to the one who they had originally been dealing with.

The monument features two life-sized statues of the bare-knuckle boxer’s six-foot-two frame, four flagpoles, depictions of Jesus and biblical scenes. It also has a solar-powered jukebox playing Mr Collins’ favourite tracks.

The monument is lit up in LED lights that change colour and is under 24-hour CCTV monitoring. A security firm also guards the memorial.

When it was first installed, there was a steady stream of intrigued visitors who went along to see the scale of the memorial for themselves.

The Collins family has warned there will be “war” if the monument is damaged or taken down.