Headstones vandalised at cemetery

Dozens of headstones have been knocked over by vandals at a cemetery in Chorlton-cum Hardy, Greater Manchester.

A total of 48 stones were damaged at Southern Cemetery in what a councillor has described as a "thoughtless act of appalling vandalism".

The vandals, who struck overnight, targeted both the newer Nell Lane section and the old section at the Princess Road end of Barlow Moor Road.

Manchester City Councillor Mike Kane is appealing for witnesses.

'Lasting impact'

He said: "This thoughtless act of appalling vandalism must have taken only a short time but will have a lasting impact on the families of those whose graves were damaged.

"It will cause a lot of upset for the families and will cost a significant amount of money to repair the damage.

"This kind of behaviour in our cemeteries shows a complete lack of respect and will not be tolerated.

"We are working closely with the police to track down those responsible for this distressing crime."