RESIDENTS have described their shock as a police presence continues at a cemetery in County Durham - and a police cordon remains in place.

Police, fire and the ambulance service have been at Ushaw Moor cemetery since the early hours of Thursday morning.

LIVE: Police cordon off Ushaw Moor incident

One woman had been due to visit her father-in-law's grave but was turned away as police investigated at the scene.

She told The Northern Echo: "My brother came down at 6 to get a newspaper and he told my mum they have been a commotion.

"My father-in-law's grave is down there and I go every day to check the flowers with the dog. I can't go today.

"My brother said that the grass cutter said the man who comes in to collect the rubbish found it but I don't know. Nobody knows. It's horrendous."

Another resident, a woman said the village believed the incident must be "serious" due to the length of time.

She said: "It is upsetting the people in the village when they have got family members buried here. My daughters are buried here. I come down all the time.

"It must be serious if it closed."

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