FAMILIES of loved ones buried at Colchester Crematorium say ‘even the dead are not safe’ after a number of graves were vandalised.

Wooden crosses have been snapped and trinkets have been knocked over during a spate of damage at the crematorium in Mersea Road.

The damage took place over a few days, with the first reports being made on Friday.

Nicky Pagani-Lungley, from Coggeshall, was visiting her dad’s grave on Saturday when she noticed it had been damaged.

She said: “It must have been about 9am, we pulled up and straight away I saw his wooden cross was broken and his plaque was hanging off.

“Looking around a lot of the wooden crosses had been broken. My dad’s cross had been snapped, it looks as if someone had kicked it. It’s absolutely awful.

“It has been there for years untouched.”

Her dad, Terry Pagani, died in his 60s when Nicky was just 11 years old.

She is not sure who owns her dad’s plot, but has been visiting ever since, more recently with her two sons - Ashton, three, and Aiden, one.

She said: “It’s upsetting as you don’t expect that to happen.

“Ashton knows he has a grandad in the sky but he didn’t understand why I wouldn’t let him out of the car to visit him on Saturday.

“Something needs to be done, even the dead aren’t safe.”

Amy Riley, from Colchester, went to visit her grandad’s grave on Sunday at about 11.30am.

She said: “Usually my grandad’s headstone has flowers, potted plants, small personal handmade ornaments and a snow globe left by my brother who never got to meet my grandad as he’d passed away three years before.

“Everything had been cleared off completely, no sign of any ornaments or flowers.

“I felt extremely saddened by the whole thing. I feel there should be more being done in the way of monitoring the site in the evenings and to make it more secure.”

A Colchester Council spokesman urged families to report any issues to staff on site.

He said: “Cemeteries are places people should be able to rest in peace and those visiting to pay their respects to their loved ones can do so with that peace of mind.

“We do not condone any acts of vandalism, which we must stress are rare at the cemetery and crematorium. We take people’s concerns very seriously but we have not received any reports of issues at the cemetery and would urge anyone who believes such acts have taken place to inform the staff.

“There are times items are moved by our gardeners, or because they are items that are not permitted to be placed at the graveside.”