Vandals wreck dozens of graves

Vandals have knocked over dozens of headstones on graves in a Manchester cemetery.

The damage took place in Southern Cemetery, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, between 3pm on Monday and 10.30am today (Tues 11 Sept).

A total of 48 headstones were knocked over - some in the newer Nell Lane section and some in the old section at the Princess Road end of Barlow Moor Road.

Councillor Mike Kane, the Manchester City Council Executive Member responsible for cemeteries, 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."

He urged anyone with information about the vandalism to contact Chorlton police station on 0161 856 4783.

Media contact:

Martin Hellewell, tel 0161 234 3729