A FAMILY have been stunned by the callous theft of a memorial bench from Lochgelly Cemetery.

The bench, remembering Hugh and Sarah Cameron, had sat near the waiting rooms block, off the busy B981 link road to Cardenden, for 30 years.

But when Elizabeth Wallace and her husband had gone to lay flowers for the anniversary of her mum’s death, they suddenly realised that the bench was not there.

Said Elizabeth: “The bench was very prominent in that part of the cemetery and we just could not believe it was not there.

“We scoured the whole area of Lochgelly Cemetery and could not find it.”

The bench had a plate on it which had the following words inscribed: ‘In memory of Hugh and Sarah Cameron from all the family’.

Added Elizabeth, from Greenbank Drive, Cowdenbeath: “It is a very heavy structure and it would have taken more than one person to move it and they would have needed a van to transport it.

“Whoever did this cannot have any conscience whatsoever. I cannot believe that someone would go into a cemetery and simply steal a memorial bench.”

Elizabeth has informed the police and she hopes that someone might have seen the perpetrators move the bench.

“Someone may have seen people acting suspiciously near the waiting room, or putting it into a van”, she added.

“It really is a despicable situation when people think they can just come along and steal a memorial bench from a cemetery. I cannot imagine what they would use it for

“The whole family is really saddened by this despicable act.”