Stolen grave ornaments recovered

Ornaments, statues and vases stolen from graves in a Middlesbrough cemetery have been recovered.

A workman found the bag containing the items which had been stolen from Thorntree Cemetery and possibly dumped when the thief was disturbed.

The council is urging relatives to come forward and reclaim the stolen items.

It has also now invested £18,000 on CCTV cameras at the cemetery and is asking staff, street wardens and visitors to be extra vigilant.

Councillor Barry Coppinger, executive member for community safety and leisure, said; "It's hard to describe the meanness of thefts like this - and the upset they cause to people.

"We hope to return these items to their owners as quickly as possible."

He said that in addition to the CCTV cover, street wardens and all cemetery staff had been briefed to be extra vigilant following the discovery of the items by a gardener.