Mown but not forgotten - distressed relatives find scene of destruction at Uplyme graveyard
A ‘callous’ vandal with a lawnmower has cut down all the daffodils in Uplyme cemetery.
Council chiefs are baffled as to the motive – and even more puzzled by the fact the culprit tidied up afterwards.
Parish clerk Lois Wakeman said distraught relatives had arrived to find the flower buds and leaves chopped off – in what had been a carefully conducted mowing operation, involving three precise cuts.
“We are at a loss to understand why anyone would do something so callous,” she told the Herald.
“Normally, relatives of those in the cemetery can enjoy a splash of colour both sides of the path each spring, but, this year, all they will see are the sad remains of the leaves.
“The council has already had a letter from a distressed relative.
“It has caused much sadness to the bereaved and we won’t know until next spring whether the bulbs will have enough strength to survive.
“What is really puzzling is that whoever did it collected all the waste and took it away with them, and the task needed three precise cuts of a mower to destroy all the daffodils – so it must have taken quite a while to do and yet no-one has reported anything suspicious.
“Our contractor was there on the Friday morning emptying the bins ready for collection, but wasn’t doing any grass cutting that day because the ground was so wet.”
The incident happened some time during the weekend of January 19 and 20.
Mrs Wakeman said if anyone knows who is responsible they should contact her on 01297 444707 or the police on 101.
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