Cemetery chapel attacked by vandals
A WIRRAL cemetery already blighted by vandalism suffered a new blow when its chapel was targeted, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Rake Lane Cemetery, in Wallasey, was targeted last week by vandals who broke in by smashing through its stained- glass windows.
Now local politicians fear it could end up being destroyed, a fate which befell Grade-II listed Liscard Hall last month.
The Hall was thought to have been deliberately set on fire on July 7, leaving it so structurally unsound that engineers declared it unsafe.
Local councillor Tony Pritchard said they were concerned about “continuous vandalism” to the chapel and added: “Also, the condition the council are leaving it in. It needs some maintenance and repair work.
“If they leave it in a poor condition, it seems to make it a bigger target for vandals.”
There had been concerns that teenagers breaking into the building had been using it to drink and take drugs, but Cllr Pritchard said there was no evidence that had happened.
He said although the chapel had not been used for about six months, artificial flowers stored in there had been strewn around, the altar smashed and the stained- glass windows destroyed, which would “cost a fortune to replace”.
Cllr Pritchard, who has been working with the Friends of Rake Lane Cemetery to try to protect the graveyard, said: “The council have left it to get into a very sorry state, with even the gutters and slates coming off.
“If the council neglect it, then it’s a bigger target.”
The cemetery was badly damaged almost two years ago when more than £400,000-worth of damage was caused when dozens of intricately carved gravestones were smashed by youths on a wrecking spree.
More than 150 graves were attacked and a mobile police station was set up in the area at the time, with house-to-house inquiries conducted alongside patrols by plain clothes officers.
Many of the graves and monuments at the cemetery were destroyed and others knocked over. One stone which was smashed marks the resting place of a former mayor and mayoress of Wirral who were in office in the 1920s. Four teenagers were later sentenced to detention.
The local community, which had grown tired of vandalism in their local cemetery, even set up its own patrols to try to protect the historic gravestones.
Last night, a spokeswoman for the local authority said: “Wirral Council takes its responsibility to protect its buildings very seriously.
“Appropriate security measures are taken and we work in close partnership with the local police to protect empty buildings and tackle anti-social behaviour.
“Unfortunately, a very small minority of irresponsible individuals have targeted Wallasey cemetery. A break-in took place over the weekend, damage was minimal and the building has been secured.
“Wirral Council has developed an asset management strategy to enable buildings of local significance to be brought back in to use.
“This is the best way to protect them from harm in the future.”
