DISGUSTED families are calling for action after more than 50 graves, including those of babies, were desecrated.

On Saturday, distraught loved ones of those buried at Bishop Auckland Town Cemetery were seen collecting flowers, broken ornaments and other memorial pieces which had been smashed or thrown from the graves.

The damage is believed to have happened during two separate incidents on Wednesday and Thursday evening, and a police investigation is now underway.

The graves of 25 babies and children were targeted on Wednesday night, leaving parents feeling “sick” when they discovered the damage.

The vandals left flowers strewn across graves while smashing ornaments and beheading teddy bears which were recovered from bins.

Residents who discovered the damage then put out a Facebook appeal for parents to come forward as the site was such a mess that they did not know which memorial pieces belonged to which grave.

Christie Carr, whose baby son Lennon George, was buried in December 2016, said the behaviour was “disgusting”.

Ms Carr, who visits at least five times a day, said it is not the first time her son’s grave has been vandalised and she has now decided to remove all but a few objects to prevent further heartache.

She said: “It’s disgusting. It’s a resting place; they should be left along to rest in peace.

“It’s sick. They need to put in CCTV cameras and a log of who’s coming in and out and registrations.”

She added: “My son’s grave has been violated. I always stand here and have conversations with him but know I don’t feel comfortable doing that knowing somebody has touched his things.”

A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary said: “We are busy making initial enquiries into what has occurred here. This is clearly a distressing incident for families who have loved ones buried here.

“The local neighbourhood policing team will be working to address anti-social behaviour and ensure our cemeteries remain the peaceful places they should be.”

Durham County Councillor for Bishop Auckland Town, Sam Zair, said a multi-agency meeting had been arranged for Tuesday to combat the ongoing problem and urged whoever was responsible to stop.

He said: “It’s absolutely heart-wrenching that things like this happen. We are not sitting back doing nothing; as an authority we are striving to find a way forward to try to find the culprits.”

Graham Harrison, bereavement services manager at Durham County Council, said the council was aware of the "deplorable acts of vandalism" and wanted to reassure relatives that security measures were being looked into.

He said: “We are aware of the deplorable acts of vandalism which have occurred at Bishop Auckland Cemetery and understand how distressing this must be for the relatives of the people whose graves have been damaged.

“We would like to reassure residents that we are working closely with police and our local councillors to look at security at the cemetery.

“We have already arranged for the gates to be locked on a night to prevent vehicles accessing the cemetery and have repaired walls and fences.

“A meeting is taking place next week with all parties following the latest incidents."

Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555111.