A FAMILY has spoken of their shock after discovering the theft of cherished family headstones from Menston Cemetery.

The family - who did not want to be named - made the devastating discovery that the family headstones had gone missing last Wednesday from the Bradford Council run cemetery in Bradford Road, Menston.

One member of the family said: "Four family headstones and a wooden cross have gone and we have no idea why.

"Some of them have been there for 50 years. It has really hammered the family. I don't know why they have picked on our family after they have been there for so many years."

The gravestones belonged to the mother and father of the family and two brothers. There was also a wooden cross marking the resting place of a sister which has also gone missing.

The graves were lovingly tended by family members and they were regularly complimented on how lovely the graves were kept.

Another member of the family said: "We go regularly to cut the grass and put flowers there. One of our relatives noticed there were no flowers and when we went to look on Wednesday we found four headstones were missing.

"Ours are not the only ones which have gone missing. At least one more headstone has gone and flowers and other trinkets have gone. It is sickening.

"Two of our headstones were engraved with names and dates and other two were marble. All had flowers and everything has gone as well as the wooden cross.

"We are all devastated. What can they possibly gain from it? If they sold them they can't be used as the headstones were engraved and they would need to be resurfaced.

"We wondered at first if the bereavement service had taken them down for some reason but when we asked if they had been taken away by the council they said it wasn't them and we needed to talk to the police."

The family has provided a statement to the police. West Yorkshire Police have been contacted for comment.

A Bradford Council spokesperson, said: “We are very upset about these thoughtless crimes and are working with the police to bring those responsible to justice.

“Our bereavement service is supporting the people affected to restore the graves to their original condition and are looking at a range of measures to prevent this happening again.”