Grave robbers swipe plaques

A MUM-OF-ONE has blasted heartless scrap metal thieves who stole her parents’ memorial plaques.

Angela Warburton discovered the bronze plaques — screwed into stone — had been pilfered from Hollinwood Crematorium, after a tearful call from her sister, Dawn.

The £189 plaques — which police say only have a scrap metal value of £4 — were stolen between November 1 and December 18, 2011.

One plaque is engraved with her dad’s name Geoff Warburton and his date of birth, 4-12-42, while the other is dedicated to her mum Carol and shows her birth date, 25-12-45.

Angela (41), from Springhead, knows she won’t get the plaques back but doesn’t want the same thing to happen to another family.

She said: “Staff at the crematorium office suggested I may have been mistaken but on making checks they discovered that they had been stolen and suggested I contact police.

“I can’t get my head around why anyone would stoop this low. It’s absolutely disgusting. I feel like we are in the grieving process all over again.”

The sisters felt they couldn’t visit their mother on Christmas Day — her mum’s birthday — because they would have nowhere to leave anything for her.

Angela added: “I am more annoyed at the scrap metal merchants. They know exactly where these plaques have come from.

“I just want other families to be aware that this has happened. I don’t want other families to go through what we have.”

PC Mark Schofield said: “For such a small amount this is a completely deplorable incident that has a devastating impact on the family.”

Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111.