More than 100 plaques have been stolen from a cemetery on the Queensland/ NSW border.
The plaques were removed from headstones at the cemetery on Kirkwood Rd, Tweed Heads South sometime between 5.30pm on Monday and 7am on Tuesday.
A groundskeeper working at the cemetery made the grim discovery early on Tuesday morning, Tweed Heads Council said.
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“It is believed the plaques may have been stolen to resell as scrap metal, with all local metal recyclers notified of the incident and placed on alert,” it said.
“At a weight of approximately 1.5kg each, the combined plaques are estimated to be worth a maximum of $1,500 on the scrap metal market.”
The council’s sustainable communities and environment director Naomi Searle said staff were devastated at the discovery.
“We are appalled at the theft of these plaques and will be working closely with police on the matter,” Searle said.
“My heart goes out to the families of those whose resting places have been affected. Every effort is being made to identify which plaques have been stolen.”
Police are investigating the theft and nearby CCTV footage is currently being reviewed.
A list of the missing burial plaques is expected to be available on Council’s website as soon as possible.
Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact Kingscliff Police Station or Crime Stoppers.