AN ANGRY daughter has spoken about how thieves stole a soft toy from the grave of her father.

Sarah Webb, 44, from Canvey, said she went to her father’s grave, at Willows Cemetery, Canvey last week to find that a rabbit that was put on the grave had been taken.

She said that her father died about six months ago and that the family have been very affected by the incident.

She said: “It’s not the cost of the rabbit, it’s the fact that people are going about doing this.

“I think it’s so disgusting and shocking, that people would go as low as taking from someone’s grave. I posted a message on Facebook to make people aware that this is going on.

“I bought and left the rabbit on my dads grave on Monday March 26, we visit the grave at least four times a week and the rabbit was still there on Wednesday April 18 and it was gone on Friday April 20.

“When I went to the grave and saw it had gone, I just felt angry, upset, every emotion really. I don’t understand why someone would want to take something like that.

“People have said that it could have been an animal that took it but I do think it was a person.

“I have heard that this has been going on in different places in the UK.”

She said that her father died in November last year after battling a short illness.

Ms Webb also said that you never expect this sort of thing to happen.

This is the latest in a spate of incidents where items have been taken from gravesides both on Canvey and in other parts of South Essex.

A memorial magnolia tree was stolen from St Katherine’s Church, Canvey, the tree was dug up and taken from the site on the island.

There was another similar incident in Bowers Gifford, where an ornament was taken from a grave.

The large diamond decoration was stolen from a grave at Bowers Gifford Crematorium and Cemetery.

There have also been other reports of flowers and other ornament-style objects that have been taken from graves across the south of the county.

Gaye Harris, spokesman for Willows Cemetery, Canvey said: “I was not aware of this particular incident but am aware that there have been other incidents where items were removed from graves. It has been a problem and there seems to be some form of culture about this going on.

“We are looking into having more security cameras at the cemetery and we are going through the process of exploring this, obviously we cannot monitor every grave, the fact that people act like this is regrettable.”