A MEMORIAL is to be erected to the memory of thousands of stillborn babies buried in unmarked graves at a North-East cemetery.

More than 2,000 babies were buried in common plots over several decades.

Hospitals carried out the burials - placing up to 60 children in plots barely larger than an adult's grave - in the belief that they were sparing parents the anguish of paying for a service themselves.

Now, almost a quarter of a century after the practice ended, some parents are calling for a memorial to mark the final resting place of their children.

The youngsters lie in a quiet corner of Linthorpe Cemetery, in Middlesbrough.

Last night, campaigners said similar unmarked graves can be found in large cemeteries across the North-East.

The existence of the Middlesbrough graves came to light after a North Ormesby couple, concerned following the Alder Hey missing organs scandal, asked what had happened to their infant.

When their son was stillborn in 1974, they left arrangements to Middlesbrough General Hospital. They have just discovered that his body lies with 59 others in a single grave at Linthorpe Cemetery.

The mother said: "He was a perfect, full-term baby, yet my husband wasn't even allowed to see him.

"When I heard that Middlesbrough General was one of the hospitals involved in organ retentions, alarm bells rang and I picked up the phone."

Earlier this year, South Tees NHS Trust, Middlesbrough, was one of several hospital trusts that said that it had kept the organs of deceased children.

Speaking about the babies' graves, the mother said: "I couldn't believe it when I found out what had happened. I took 27 carnations - one for every year that I had missed."

Now, as part of a £1.2m Lottery bid Middlesbrough Borough Council has drawn up plans for a memorial to the children. An invitation will be offered to the parents of the babies to locate their babies.

Maureen Gibson, a care and support worker at James Cook University Hospital, part of the North Tees NHS Trust which includes Middlesbrough General, said common graves for babies were widespread. She said most are found in large, older cemeteries, especially those near hospitals.

"I don't think Linthorpe has an exceptional amount, and 60 bodies per grave would be an average number," she said.

Ms Gibson said that the practice of burying babies together was abolished on Teesside in 1975. In the late 1980s, a new policy for keeping parents better informed was adopted.

"We know better now. I go out and make sure that the parents get exactly what they want," she said.

The charity Care for Bereaved Parents, which Ms Gibson founded, helps parents to trace their babies' graves.

She said: "Once we know what we are doing at Linthorpe Cemetery, we will encourage families to come along and see where the graves are."

A spokeswoman for South Durham Health Care NHS Trust, which includes Darlington Memorial Hospital and Bishop Auckland General Hospital, said for "many years" the parents of stillborn babies had the option of making their own funeral arrangements or leaving it up to the trust.

Dedicated areas for stillborn babies are set aside at cemeteries in Darlington and Bishop Auckland. Each plot is marked with the child's name.

* Anyone on Teesside who wants help to trace their baby's grave can contact (01642) 817725.