A son says his elderly mum is heartbroken after discovering her late husband’s grave near St Neots had been vandalised and personal items and keepsakes stolen.
Stuart Fairweather, 47, from Tring, Hertfordshire, was visiting his dad’s grave at Little Paxton Cemetery on Sunday (May 3) and was horrified to find it had been stripped bare and items damaged or missing.
Joyce Fairweather, who is in her 80s, had been married to husband William (Bill) Fairweather, a former district councillor, for 60 years when he died on March 11, 2010 after suffering a stroke.
“My mum is in bits, she just ‘lost it’ when she saw the mess and realised personal items, that were not of any real value to anyone else but meant everything to the two of them, had gone,” he said.
“I found a wooden cross from his cremation behind another grave, it looked like someone had just thrown it there, but other items that had been hidden in plant pots had been stolen. The people who did this are scum.
“It is so disrespectful. My dad worked hard for the community when he was alive and it is terrible to see this. I can deal with it, but my mum is frail and she is heartbroken.”
Mr Fairweather said it was not the first time graves have been damaged there and he had heard reports that needles have been discovered.
“It is becoming a nightmare. There has been lots of damage and we have heard that needles have been found. I will replace the items that were stolen and if they go missing again I will replace them again.
“My dad and I were very close. He was very poorly for the last 30 years of his life, but he soldiered on and did so much to help others and he deserves some respect.”
The cemetery in Hail Weston Road has 300 graves and is owned by Little Paxton Parish Council. Parish clerk Jenny Gellatly confirmed needles had been found in December and three thefts, including a water pump, had taken place recently. She said the parish carried out weekly spot checks, but advised people to report thefts and damage to the police.
“This is despicable thing for anyone to do. It is so upsetting. We need people to report it to police so patrols can be increased in the area.”
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