CALLS have been made for greater security at a Blackburn cemetery after a gravestone was smashed to pieces when a car drove into it.

Insp Michael Johnson said a grey Vauxhall Astra collided with another car before crashing into a grave in Pleasington Cemetery & Crematorium at 5.20pm on Friday.

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The headstone was in memory of Eamonn Maguire, 47, and Edward Maguire, 72, who both died in 2009.

Cllr Derek Hardman, who represents the area, said the cemetery has previously had problems. He said: “If that gravestone was for one of my relatives I would be extremely upset.

“The cemetery has become a place for people to drive round and misbehave and I have had several residents tell me there are people round there at night.

“It is a place where people go to pay respect to their loved ones who are no longer here, not for people to be driving around in.

“But the issue is, how can we control this? The police do not have the resources to be there all day, every day.

“There needs to be security cameras or something put in there to stop people driving around in there at night.”

A witness said the car and a black Volkswagen came together before crashing into the grave.

He said: “We saw the Astra reverse out of the grave and it managed to drive off.

“The driver whom he had hit had then called the police to tell them what had happened.

“The Volkswagen had damage on one side.

“We could not believe what had happened. Why someone was trying to overtake someone in the cemetery is ridiculous.”

Insp Johnson said: “We were called at 5.20pm on Friday evening to a call of a grey Vauxhall Astra crashing into a gravestone. The driver then made off from the scene.

“We are desperately looking to speak to the driver of the Astra.

“If anyone has any information about this then they should call the police on 101 and quote 1167 of June 11.”