A WOMAN is urging people to be vigilant after her father’s memorial bench was vandalised.

The bench in Alton cemetery was "damaged beyond repair" in the early hours of September 27 and Rosalind Parratt, who visited the cemetery in the wake of the destruction, said: “The vandals would have had to come prepared with a sledgehammer as the damage on the concrete pillars supporting the bench was extensive.

“There was no damage to the seating and the back supports were not damaged, except that they had been dislodged from the concrete supports.”

She went on to say that a “senior groundsman” at the cemetery told her that he thought the damage “had been done by a vehicle, rather than by hand”.

“There are two other benches in the near vicinity that were not touched, again suggesting this was not vandals setting out to do as much damage as possible,” said Mrs Parratt.

"When I directly asked the groundsman if it could have been one of their grasscutting machines, or the like, he was adamant it was not.”

She added: “East Hampshire District Council have explained to me that because there were no witnesses, and therefore no known perpetrator, their public liability insurance will not cover the cost of replacing the bench.”

Anyone with any information should call Alton Police on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.