SECURITY may be stepped up in two East Cleveland cemeteries after gravestones were vandalised and mementoes stolen.

Councillors will tomorrow discuss plans to spend £19,000 a year to pay for security patrols at Eston and Redcar cemeteries.

The move follows reports that soft toys, flowers and precious mementoes from children's graves have been stolen and sold door-to-door in Eston.

There have also been complaints that memorials have been pushed over, litter has been strewn on graves and dogs have been allowed to foul the area.

A report to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said that Eston and Redcar cemeteries are the worst affected because they are unlit, hard to observe from roads and are used as short-cuts and meeting places,.

Councillors on the community safety and social inclusion scrutiny committee will discuss two options. The first will be to spend £13,000 to provide extra gates and to ensure they are locked from dusk to dawn each day. However, the report notes that vandals could still get into the cemeteries with relative ease.

The second option would be to provide £19,000 a year to pay for someone to patrol the cemeteries between 9pm and midnight, when most of the vandalism occurs.

In a report to the committee, Mike Hardman, assistant director of environmental services, said: "At one time, it was not uncommon for staff to live in accommodation provided at the cemeteries and this provided a measure of security. It may be necessary to determine a way forward."

Last year, Caroline Millward, whose 18-year-old son, Mark, died in a car accident six years ago, launched a campaign in Eston to fight the thieves and vandals after flowers were taken from Mark's grave.

She said that the last straw came when she read a graveside letter to the thieves from a 20-year-old mother whose baby had died.

Speaking yesterday, she said: "The council did put up signs warning the thieves about security cameras last year, but they were posted so high up that they were a waste of time. The initial publicity helped a lot but we still need support."

After councillors discuss the proposals tomorrow, the report will be examined by the executive committee in the coming weeks