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| 600 memorial plaques are stolen | 600 memorial plaques are stolen |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Hundreds of memorial plaques worth £36,000 have been stolen from a garden of rest in Swansea. | |
| Relatives say around 600 brass plaques - each costing about £60 - have been taken from St Thomas's Church. | Relatives say around 600 brass plaques - each costing about £60 - have been taken from St Thomas's Church. |
| Police say the incident was reported on Friday evening and although an investigation is underway, no arrests have been made. | Police say the incident was reported on Friday evening and although an investigation is underway, no arrests have been made. |
| The church has left a letter at the garden explaining the situation to relatives visiting over Christmas. | |
| Debbie Carney discovered her family's plaques were missing at the church in the St Thomas area of the city on Sunday. | |
| "When I got in there I noticed something was different and I looked about and I couldn't understand what it was," said Mrs Carney, who had seven plaques stolen commemorating her mum, grandparents, great grandparents and uncle. | "When I got in there I noticed something was different and I looked about and I couldn't understand what it was," said Mrs Carney, who had seven plaques stolen commemorating her mum, grandparents, great grandparents and uncle. |
| Cruel and thoughtless | |
| "And then I realised all the brass plaques were missing. About 600 of them. In place of the brass plaques there was a letter explaining what had actually happened. | "And then I realised all the brass plaques were missing. About 600 of them. In place of the brass plaques there was a letter explaining what had actually happened. |
| "The thing is, the brass plaques in the garden of rest, they go back a long way. | |
| "So for the church to be able to get hold of all those people is impossible." | "So for the church to be able to get hold of all those people is impossible." |
| The plates, which date back to the early 1960s, were affixed to notice boards and attached the clock tower in the church grounds. | |
| Officers believe the theft occurred between Friday 14 December and Wednesday 19 December. | |
| Superintendent Julian Williams, head of Policing in Swansea North, said: "This is a crime that has been committed by cruel and thoughtless person or persons, to remove plates that have been dedicated to lost loved ones is despicable." | |
| Anyone with information is asked to contact the Police in Swansea on 01792 456999 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 |