A slipper and rosary hang on an improvised marker for victims of super typhoon Haiyan at a mass grave site in front of a Catholic church in San Joaquin town of Palo, Leyte province, central Philippines December 23, 2013. Super typhoon Haiyan reduced almos
A slipper and rosary hang on an improvised marker for victims of super typhoon Haiyan at a mass grave site in front of a Catholic church in San Joaquin town of Palo, Leyte province, central Philippines December 23, 2013. Super typhoon Haiyan reduced almost everything in its path to rubble when it swept ashore in the central Philippines on November 8, killing at least 6,069 people, leaving 1,779 missing and 4 million either homeless or with damaged homes. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

As if losing a child early to death isn't painful enough, a mother got the shock of her life when she discovered that the grave where she placed the remains of her dead son contained another dead child.

Apparently, it was a practice the management of the cemetery can apply. But Katy Quillan, mother of baby David, wasn't advised about it. Thus when she visited baby David's plot after Christmas, she was horrified seeing all the decorations and tributes she made had been plucked from the soil and scattered nearby.

What she does know was that the plot located at a cemetery in Southport, Merseyside was exclusively for baby David. The funeral directors told her so.

A slipper and rosary hang on an improvised marker for victims of super typhoon Haiyan at a mass grave site in front of a Catholic church in San Joaquin town of Palo, Leyte province, central Philippines December 23, 2013. Super typhoon Haiyan reduced almost everything in its path to rubble when it swept ashore in the central Philippines on November 8, killing at least 6,069 people, leaving 1,779 missing and 4 million either homeless or with damaged homes. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

"If I had known this from the start it wouldn't be a problem, but I thought that grave was just for David and to find out that it isn't is heartbreaking," Ms Quillan said.

Baby David died in April 2013. Since then she had been going to her son's grave plot, tending it, taking care of it and putting decorations and all.

"It took me hours to decorate David's grave so that me and my daughter had somewhere to go."

She was even told she can decorate the plot however she liked to, that she can put up a small picket fence and place pebbles, even a Christmas tree and Father Christmas since her son was the only person buried there.

So such was her surprise seeing her son's grave after Christmas.

"When we went back to the grave after Christmas, we were shocked to find that all of our decorations had gone."

"All of the stones had been put into a bin bag and the fence and ornaments had been damaged and thrown on the floor."

She said she is not sure if the other family knows the plot is a thing they co-own.

"I don't want to move any of the items, I couldn't do that to another mum... The other family deserve to know too, I have thought about leaving them a note."

Sefton council, which operates the cemetery, said it is the responsibility of the funeral to advise the family how such system works.

"As with most funerals, the onus is on the funeral directors to offer bereavement guidance to families and this would include explaining how these type of graves operate," an unidentified spokesperson was quoted by the Daily Mail.

"Situations like these are always difficult because of the emotions involved but we do our very best to ensure that people are treated with the greatest of sympathy and respect."

Hunters Funeral Directors handled baby David's burial.