A GRIEVING Basildon man has highlighted the theft of flowers from the graves of his wife and daughter in the hope that awareness of such callous crimes may prick the conscience of other would-be thieves.

The experience of discovering the theft at the cemetery in Bowers Gifford where his loved ones lay side-by-side shocked 69-year-old Thomas Latchford to the core.

He said: "I was devastated. I just couldn't believe that someone would want to do something like that.

"We put the flowers there on Monday for my daughter's birthday and they disappeared on Thursday. We were really shocked. I came home and it just broke my heart.

"There's nothing else we can do for them than to buy flowers and lay them on their grave.

"It makes you think when the next occasion comes around what are we going to do because we want to do something but we don't want this to happen.

"When you see it you just can't believe it.

"There's not a lot that the cemetery can do. They already have CCTV cameras. These people are just the lowest of the low."

Just a few days ago another south Essex community was shocked after a wave of vandalism and desecration in its cemetery. Residents in Chadwell St Mary have now called for their cemetery to be locked up and security increased.