A LYDNEY couple have said thieves who stole marble urns from a family grave are “beneath contempt.”

Derek and Heather Pomeroy discovered the theft from the grave of Mr Pomeroy’s parents, William and Margaret, at Lydney Cemetery last weekend.

It is thought the black marble urns, worth approximately £200, were stolen some time before Friday, June 9.

In an unrelated incident, two men have been arrested following a theft of from a vehicle at the cemetery in which, it is alleged, a knife was wielded.

Mr Pomeroy, who is president of Lydney RFC, told the Review: “I arrived to put plants on the grave and discovered the urns were missing.

“I rang my children and my son said he thought I’d moved them as they weren’t there when he visited on June 9.

“I checked with the town council in case they’d moved them for any reason but they hadn’t.

“The large, black marble urns have been on the grave since my father died about five years ago.

“They were put there by (funeral director) Philip Blatchly with the headstone.

“I think everybody in the family is disturbed by this – it’s just so annoying.

“There are a lot of people around who don’t have morals but you don’t expect this to happen to you.

“Whoever has done this is beneath contempt. The urns were quite heavy so they wouldn’t have been able to just walk off with them.”

Gloucestershire Police were called to Church Road after a report that chainsaws were stolen from a vehicle last Friday (June 23).

A police spokesman said: “During the incident a knife was wielded by one of the offenders.

A 19-year-old Cinderford man and 17-year-old Cinderford youth were later arrested on suspicion of theft from a vehicle and possession of an offensive weapon in connection with the case.

“They have both been released under investigation while inquiries continue.”