PETTY thieves are upsetting bereaved families by stealing flowers from graves in Tavistock Cemetery.

The recent spate of thefts from graves in the Plymouth Road Cemetery has left Tavistock Town Council puzzled.

Fresh bunches of flowers have gone missing, either one bunch from among large collections on fresh graves or a single bunch from older ones.

Cemetery superintendent Brian Brown said there had been four or five reports of flowers going missing from graves since the beginning of the year, when he took up the post.

'It is upsetting for the people who have put flowers on the grave of their loved ones,' he said.

But Mr Brown said little could be done to stop those determined to move or steal flowers as there are only two members of staff at the large cemetery.

Some people who had reported flowers being taken from the graves of family members were philosophical about the problem, and still came back to the cemetery to lay fresh flowers at the grave, he said.

He thought the flowers were being stolen at night or early in the morning before the cemetery opened.

Mr Brown said he and members of his staff had seen people climbing out over the low walls of the cemetery when they opened the gates early in the morning, but had not been able to apprehend anyone.

He said as well as bouquets of flowers, plants had also been taken from graves.

Town clerk Col Roger Howard said he was sure the people of Tavistock would be 'appalled' to hear of these thefts.

He said the town council was puzzled by the motives behind the thefts.

'The cemetery with its low walls cannot be totally secured,' said Col Howard.

'The gates are open and visitors are allowed in from 10am to 7pm —5pm in the winter — and during these periods cemetery staff are normally around to oversee things.'

Col Howard said on one occasion, when flowers were collected at the end of a 'green burial' at the cemetery, one extra card was found, and the bunch of flowers which had been with the card were missing.

Another incident was reported by a lady who laid flowers on her grandfather's grave, and returned to the cemetery later to find they had gone.

He said flowers had disappeared from different parts of the cemetery and there was no discernible pattern in the incidents.

Tavistock resident Roy Minhinnick, who wrote to the Times last month to complain about the overgrown state of the cemetery grass, said he had been shocked to learn of flowers disappearing from graves at the cemetery.

'It is very sad. Why anybody would do this, I don't know? It is terrible,' he said.

The council has appealed to people living in the town to help them get a clearer picture of the extent of the problem.

Anyone who has experienced the theft of flowers from graves is asked to let cemetery staff know, as it is believed more incidents may have occurred than have so far been reported.

Anyone seen acting suspiciously in the cemetery should be reported either to the cemetery staff or the police.