SECURITY is to be stepped up at a cemetery, which has been raided by thieves.

Nearly £2,000 of gardening equipment was stolen from Rock Road Cemetery in Spennymoor, last week.

After cutting through chains at the cemetery gates the culprits then drove over flower beds and broke into a storage shed to steal a mower, grass strimmer, back-pack blower and a trailer.

Terry Robson, town clerk at Spennymoor Town Council, which manages the site, said: "We have increased vigilance and security at all the council depots and sites to prevent this happening again."

The incident was a double blow for working supervisor Michael Foxton and groundsman Peter Crosley.

As well as loosing gardening equipment, Mr Crosley will have to spend time replanting parts of the cemetery when he could be working on a memorial garden.

He said: "I designed and am now creating a memorial garden for people to sit in peace and think of their late friends and relatives. This is a real blow because we make such an effort to keep the place nice."

Coun John Marr added: "Cemeteries should be a place of peace and should be respected by people without this sort of intrusion. Rock Road in particular is a wonderful place, we've been commended nationally by Northumbria in Bloom and Joy Dunk, chairman of the National Association of Memorial Masons, visited recently and said she was impressed with the extra effort made at the site."

Anyone with information about the incident or stolen property, which was security tagged, should call police on (01325) 314401.