A BEREAVED Monmouth family is suffering further heartache after a memorial bench recently installed at Dixton Church was stolen over night.

The bench, installed last month in the memory of Monmouth woman Mandi Morgan, is believed to have been taken overnight from the church grounds.

It is thought considerable effort was used to remove the bench from its location, as the legs had been bolted and concreted into the base.

Mandi’s son Dan took to Facebook to appeal for help and information on the theft. He said: “We only put it down about a month ago, firmly cemented in the ground so someone must have been very desperate to remove it.

“It has a plaque with my mum’s name etc on it. My nan is in absolute bits, we cannot believe that this has happened and that somebody would do this.

“If anyone knows anything or has seen anything please get in touch! We’re all heartbroken.”

St Peter’s Church in Dixton is open to the public all daylight hours, but this has unfortunately left it vulnerable to theft in the past.

Revered Penny Powdrill said: “This isn’t vandalism, to me, this looks like someone knew exactly what they were doing and what they were taking.

“It’s a very nice hardwood bench, and cost the family hundreds of pounds.

“This poor lady has lost her daughter, which no one should have to go through, and now this. What sort of person takes something like this?

“You shouldn’t desecrate a church yard and steal from churches. How low can you get?”