Fury as graves hit by thieves in West Bromwich
A priest has branded thieves despicable after border stones from graves in his churchyard were stolen.
Father Leonard Cox, from St Peter's Church in Greets Green, West Bromwich, has appealed for the return of the marble stone, some of which are likely to have descriptions of who is buried there.
Visitors to the churchyard, on Whitehall Road, raised the alarm after noticing some marble stones had gone missing from one of the graves, and on closer inspection it was discovered around eight or 10 graves had been targeted.
The stones that have been taken from are those without traditional headstones, but which instead have large marble slabs forming a border. Father Cox said: "It is a despicable act of desecration, it desecrates the memory of the departed and causes distress and misery to the families and others who regularly visit the churchyard. I can think of a few words to describe the culprits, but they are not words appropriate for a family newspaper.
"My hope is the guilty party will reflect on what they have done and return what they have stolen."
A wheelbarrow was also discovered in the car park, and Father Cox believes it may have been used to transport the stones to a vehicle.
He said the church is proud to be open to the community, but said they may now have to review their security measures in light of these thefts. The incident has been reported.
