Volunteers defy cemetery vandals

Some of the stones have proved difficult to clean

Volunteers who tend a Derbyshire cemetery have said an attack by vandals will not stop their work.

The Ilkeston-based Friends of Stanton Road Cemetery have spent seven years clearing undergrowth and litter.

But on Thursday swastikas and obscene graffiti appeared on several headstones and has proved difficult to remove from those from the 18th and 19th Centuries.

The group said the attack had saddened them but they would continue to keep the cemetery clear for visitors.

Tagging database

Two marble stones have been cleaned relatively easily but other stones from the 18th and 19th Centuries require careful treatment as they are more porous and cleaners fear damaging the lettering of the epitaphs.

Helen Varnam from the friends said: "I think it is really disappointing that there appear to be some elements in society that think it is funny and get kicks out of desecrating graves.

"It spoils the graveyard for people who have relatives here or who just come to contemplate the peace."

She added: "It is very upsetting for us but it is not going to stop us clearing this little peace of ground that we love so much."

It is hoped that a tagging database, a kind of graffiti image library, will help track down those responsible and CCTV camera could be used to watch over the site.