Family 'heartbreak' in Dumfries as vandals smash Troqueer cemetery graves and overturn headstones

Multiple graves have been damaged and desecrated by vandals at Troqueer Cemetery in Dumfries.

Kerry Burns, 38, said she was "heartbroken" to discover on Sunday 1 October her family's graves had been vandalised.

Ms Burns' grandfather and great-grandfather are buried in the family grave and she comes every weekend with her family to lay flowers.

Ms Burns said: "I couldn't believe it when I saw the mess. It was heart-breaking. It's awful."

Referring to the vandals, she continued: "What do they get out of it? Apart from hurting families - what do they get out of it?"

Her husband, Scott Burns, 43, explained his wife was very close to her grandfather as she grew up with him while her father served in the Army.

He described his wife's reaction to seeing the grave vandalised as "devastation."

The Burns family were "heartbroken and devastated" by the damage to their family's grave. ( L-R Scott, Kerry and Amy-Lee Burns ) Credit: ITV

Ms Burns has four children of her own but she had to tell them the "horrible and nasty things " that had been done to the family grave.

Headstones were knocked over and memorials smashed but Ms Burns revealed this is not the first time the family grave has been damaged. In 2014, ornaments on her family's headstones were also smashed and stolen.

Ms Burns said:"Ornaments can be replaced but this kind of damage I don't know."

Ms Burns revealed this is not the first time her family's grave has been damaged by vandals. Credit: ITV

Unfortunately, Dumfries and Galloway Council has confirmed it is the families who bear responsibility for any repairs. Their spokesperson explainins: "Our Council’s Burials Service is currently working to identify the lair holders or their next of kin so that we can inform them of the damage to the headstone, and the need for repair. The cost of repair is the family’s responsibility.

"We are aware that eight headstones have been pushed over in Troqueer Cemetery during the week of 25 September 2023. All headstones are lying flat on the ground and are safe at present.

"Police Scotland have been notified about this vandalism and have increased patrols in the area."

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Around 7.10pm on Sunday 1 October, we received a report of damage at a cemetery in Troqueer Road in Dumfries. Enquiries are ongoing.”

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