ONE of the last surviving members of one of Newton Abbot's oldest families has spoken of his sadness after the grave of his mother, father, brothers and sisters was attacked by vandals.

Laurie Brinacombe and brother, Gordon, who have spent all of their lives in Newton Abbot, were distraught when, on last week's routine Sunday visit to Ogwell Cemetery, they found that vandals had been at work.

'The polished granite books with my brothers' names on them sit on top of the grave and are removable for cleaning. It was those that were thrown in the hedge,' said Laurie Brinacombe, 84. 'Of course the thing was, at our age, we couldn't lift them back up to put them on the grave. So, when I felt able on the following Monday, I telephoned Teignbridge Council and I understand that they went up there and put them back on the grave for us.'

Two more graves had also been desecrated. A neighbouring plot had been stamped upon and a large stone cross broken in two and pulled from the headstone.

Teignbridge Council is in the process of tracing and notifying the families. Claims against the damage are also being processed by the council's insurers.

'Coming up here is like coming home,' said former town councillor, Mr Brinacombe, of the cemetery where 12 members of the family are buried, the most recent less that 12 months ago. 'We were a very close family, very devoted and we were always known for going around everywhere together.

'We try not to be morbid but we visit the graves at least every other Sunday, to keep an eye on things and replace the flowers and it was a obviously a great shock and very sad when we saw what had happened.

There were definitely traces of vandalism there and we are now, of course, terrified to think that they may try and break up the cross on our grave.

'I've got no idea why anyone would want to do something like this. I feel it was probably somebody who had been out for the evening and felt as though they wanted to play around. It upset us because we have never known anything like this happen.

'What I would like to see them do is lock the bottom gates, which lead straight to my family's grave, overnight, to dissuade people coming in here where they are out of sight from the road.'

A spokesperson for Teignbridge Council said that although the problem is not a common one they are now working with the police to monitor the cemetery. Newton Abbot police confirmed that patrols had been briefed on the incident.

'It is extremely upsetting for all concerned, but especially for anyone with relatives buried in the cemetery, that anyone could be so insensitive and callous as to damage the graves of departed loved ones,' said a police spokesperson.

'It would appear that this is the first offence of damage at this location that has been reported to the police for some time. We certainly hope there will be no repetition of this type of incident.

'Patrols have been asked to pay particular attention to the area as and when time and commitments permit. Pc Neil Green, the local community constable, will also be visiting the location and making periodic checks.'

Pc Green would like to hear from anyone with any information about this offence and asks local residents to be watchful and report any instances of suspicious activity in the cemetery.