A MALVERN man has des-cribed the thieves who stole flowers from his daughter's grave as "heartless and unfeeling".

Alan Loader, whose daughter Sandra Wigget died seven years ago, leaves flowers on her grave in Malvern Cemetery each week.

On the anniversary of her death he left flowers as usual, only to have them stolen the same day.

"I left the flowers there on the Friday and on Saturday when my son-in-law visited the grave they'd gone," he said.

His daughter was only 40 when she died of cancer in 1998 leaving a husband and two children, both now in their teens.

Members of the family regularly visit the grave and leave flowers.

"I just don't understand how people can do it. How can you excuse taking flowers from a grave?" said Mr Loader, who said the theft had been particularly upsetting as it happened on the anniversary of his daughter's death in Septem-ber.

The cemetery is the responsibility of Malvern Town Council. Town Clerk Richard Chapman said: "Occasionally thefts like this happen and we are very sorry when they do. The staff are very proud of the cemetery and get upset when graves are desecrated. Unfortunately, the culprits are very difficult to catch."