SECURITY cameras have been installed in a bid to cut crime - in a cemetery.
Two closed-circuit television cameras are now keeping watch over Hartlepool's Stranton Cemetery.
One family grave has been targeted three times by thieves, who even swapped fresh flowers for dead ones.
Sheila Harker, 71, said solar lights placed at her parents' grave lasted three days before they were stolen. Thieves also helped themselves to a silver insert in a marble pot.
Cherubs, toys and wind chimes have been stolen from children's graves in the 47-acre cemetery in the past.
A spokesman for Hartlepool Borough Council said: "We do all we can to prevent incidents like this, but it is not easy, because the cemetery covers a vast public area.
"We have security, and this has been stepped up recently, with the introduction of two CCTV cameras to try to combat thefts and vandalism."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article