Headstones and fences have been damaged after a car ploughed into a Leicestershire cemetery. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
The incident happened on Saturday evening (January 10) when Harborough District Council (HDC) said the vehicle ploughed into Foxton Cemetery after leaving the road at the sharp Main Street bend in the village. The collision has damaged around 15 headstones according to council officials.
HDC said it was “endeavouring to notify” relatives about which headstones had been damaged “as soon as possible”. Safety testing of grave headstones is also being undertaken to check they are stable.
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The council said it is liaising with Leicestershire Police about the incident. The force said the collision will be investigated by its Rural Crime and Heritage Team.
A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman added: “Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Area (NPA) are aware and are carrying out further enquiries with colleagues from the council. There haven’t been any arrests”.
Officials on HDC are urging the driver to come forward and help the investigation. Councillor Darren Woodiwiss, cabinet lead for environmental and climate change, with responsibility for cemeteries, said: “We understand these things happen by accident and we hope the driver of the vehicle is OK and comes forward to allow us to understand what has happened. In the meantime, we understand how distressing this is for relatives, families and the village and we will act swiftly to do all we can to repair the damage caused.”
Anyone with information about the collision should call Leicestershire Police on 101 and ask to speak to Pc 553 Tones. Alternatively, report information on the force’s website.
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