A GRIEF-STRICKEN mother has told how heartless thieves are stealing mementos from her son's grave.

Mark Burns, 40, died after he was punched in the face outside a pub in Stockton, in September, last year.

He is buried in Durham Road Cemetery, Stockton -where thieves, possibly feeding a drug habit, have stolen solar lights and golf balls from his grave.

His mother, Di Robinson, said Father's Day cards and bracelets made by Mr Burns' two young daughters had been stolen in the past.

She said: "It is sickening and has a devastating effect on the families.

"Trying to cope with losing someone is bad enough without having to deal with scum stealing from graves.

"I have been told that drug addicts hang around in there and rake through the graves to find things to steal."

The cemetery has been targeted by vandals and thieves in the past, and a Stockton Borough Council spokeswoman said security had been stepped up.

She said: "We understand how distressing it is for families when graves are desecrated, and have stepped up the warden patrols in the cemetery as well as locking the gates each evening to stop vehicles entering.

"We urge families visiting the cemetery to contact Bereavement Services with any concerns and to report any acts of vandalism."

A police spokeswoman said: "It beggars belief that anyone would want to steal from gravesides, adding to the heartache and misery it causes relatives who have lost loved ones."