A MEMORIAL has been unveiled to about 2,400 stillborn babies buried in unmarked mass graves in a North-East cemetery.

Up to 60 infants lie in average sized graves dotted in common plots across Linthorpe Cemetery, Middlesbrough.

It was a common practice carried out at cemeteries across the country until the late 1970s for hospitals to bury stillborn infants in anonymous mass graves, without the parents' knowledge, thinking they were sparing them unnecessary grief.

A granite post with a child's face sculpted into its top and a small wall for vases and plaques now marks the spot where 41 of more than an estimated 80 mass graves have been located in the graveyard.

Yesterday, hundreds of bereaved parents attended a dedication ceremony and prayers at the site.

The parents' plight surfaced when the scandal of the retention of babies' organs at Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool, hit the headlines.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust received 400 inquiries from bereaved parents who wanted to know where their babies were buried.

The "forgotten'' babies were first highlighted by The Northern Echo in July, 2001.

The refrain to one of yesterday's prayers of dedication was "We will remember these children''.

Maureen Gibson, who was spokeswoman for the campaigning group, Care for Bereaved Parents, believes that the trust's switchboards can expect an avalanche of calls from parents hearing for the first time about the special memorial.

She said: "I think it is a step in the right direction. These parents have gone on for a long time in silent grief.''

Trust chairman John Foster said: "It is an essential step - 20 to 30 years ago, these sort of things were not recognised.''

Middlesbrough's Speaker, Councillor Ken Hall, told parents he hoped they would find consolation and a lasting memorial to brief lives in what for "many years was a hidden part of the cemetery''.

Council executive member Ron Lowes said: "This is a place where parents can visit and reflect, and maybe find peace.''