"DESPICABLE" thieves stole around £200 worth of yew tree saplings planted by volunteers at a cemetery.

The young plants were bedded in at Pershore Cemetery shortly before Christmas Day, but - at some point between Christmas Eve and Tuesday, January 3 - they were ripped up and stolen.

Volunteers had planted ten saplings at the entrance to the cemetery, off High Street, as part of a town council-funded project.

Now Pershore Town Council says it will install CCTV cameras at the cemetery in an attempt to prevent further thefts.

Councillor Chris Parsons MBE, chairman of the Cemetery Committee, said: "I consider it to be despicable that anyone could stoop so low as to steal plants from a cemetery.

"The town council does everything it can to maintain the cemetery to a high standard.

"Several enhancements have been carried out over the last few years as funds have allowed, including the restoration of the chapel, the gates and the replacement of the railings as well as the new car park.

"Over the past years visitors to the cemetery have been appreciative of the work carried out by the council and when this type of vandalism occurs it can only demoralise all those who have worked hard to make these improvements.

"To prevent a recurrence of this event, covert CCTV is being installed and in the meantime if anyone has any information regarding this vandalism please contact West Mercia Police."

Town councillors are appealing for information about the theft, and has reported it to West Mercia Police.

The yew tree saplings will be replaced by the council.

A police spokesman said: "Police were made aware of reports of a theft from a cemetery lodge on Defford Road in Pershore around 11.30am on Tuesday, January 3.

"Around ten yew tree plants are understood to have been taken sometime between 10am on Saturday, December 24 and 11am today (Tuesday).

"Enquiries are ongoing but officers are keen to speak to people who saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area at the time of the incident."

Anyone with information can call West Mercia Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 quoting incident number 194S of Tuesday, January 3.