A couple sparked critical reports in the international press after they attempted to have a plaque commemorating the Holocaust removed from outside their home in Amsterdam, but it later emerged they had wanted to move the memorial because they found it too painful to see after the death of their child.

The couple had brought their case to court in order to have the Stolperstein – pavement stones containing the names of Holocaust victims, which can be found throughout the Dutch city - removed.

However, in a statement released on Monday, they said they were dropping the case.

“We are shocked by the way this has been publicised and the misunderstandings that have arisen as a result,” they said.

“Since the death of our child, the Stolperstein pointing to our house has been too upsetting”.

The couple added that since they had started living in that house, they had “kept a document in a prominent place, with the handwritten name of the deported resident”, as a memorial.

“We do not want to hurt anyone, and find it very unfortunate that this happened”, they said.

In response to the couple’s complaint, the district council had moved the stone in the Nicolaas Maesstraat to a less prominent spot, nearer the edge of the pavement.

However, they had continued to lobby for the stone to be removed altogether, arguing that it “compromised the atmosphere” of the neighbourhood and had affected their privacy because it attracted tourists. The kerbstone in question is in the affluent Concertgebouw neighbourhood of the city.

However, a local source said that many of Amsterdam’s Jewish residents were unhappy with the concept of the stolperstein, as their position – fastened into the pavement - means that people are now stepping on the names of dead Jews.