A devastated mother from High Wycombe has spoken out after her stillborn son’s grave was “desecrated” for the third time in eight months – as the Bucks Free Press calls for the council to act and stop the sickening vandalism once and for all.

Heather Payne, 35, from Cressex, found “de-headed” flowers, the name plaque thrown yards away and alcohol poured on baby son Christian Barton’s grave in High Wycombe Cemetery’s Snowdrop Garden on January 29, saying it broke her heart.

Wycombe District Council bosses insisted they “fortunately” had “very few” acts of vandalism to “contend with” over the years – but we say even one act is one too many.

It is one of the most awful things to lose a child, but this only adds to the pain and heartbreak, and today, we call for more action from the council to bring an end to this shocking crime after months of unrest from other parents.

Council bosses said they had implemented “a number of measures since the beginning of the year, but these have clearly not deterred vandals.

Mrs Payne, who decided to bury her son “at home” in High Wycombe instead of Stoke Mandeville, said: “It is a criminal offence to vandalise a grave but with no CCTV it is difficult to prosecute anyone.

“There was also a very prominent footprint on his grave – for me he’s under there and it’s like whoever did it was stamping on him, which really upset me.

“He was my second son and we fought really hard to keep him, and unfortunately it didn’t work.”

A petition with thousands of signatures was handed over to WDC to install CCTV to protect the graves last year, sparking uproar after a council chief denied cemetery vandalism was an issue in High Wycombe.

It came after another family revealed their heartbreak after a part of their baby son’s gravestone was torn off and discarded just a few feet away, and Darren Chandler, who handed over the petition, said his daughter’s grave was “left bare” after thieves reportedly stole all the decorations around it.

However, cabinet member for community, cllr Julia Adey, said the council’s maintenance team were most likely responsible for removing the decorations, and denied reports of vandalism.

Mrs Payne has renewed calls for CCTV, but says she has been told it is too expensive.

She added: “I feel like I’m banging my head against a brick wall.

“There needs to be a resolution. It has been extremely hard.

“To me it is every child in there – they deserve more respect and dignity than they are being given right now.

“The council are giving excuse after excuse.

“We have CCTV everywhere in the country but we can’t have it near a cemetery where it is a criminal offence to desecrate a grave.”

Council spokesman Simon Farr told the Free Press the council was looking at installing CCTV at two locations, which would be presented to the High Wycombe town committee in the summer.

He added that the cemetery grounds were surrounded by walls and fencing, and the gates were locked every night with “regular patrols” by the cemetery officer and police.

He said: “We appreciate how distressing it is for friends and family when the grave of a loved one is damaged or vandalised.

“However, to effectively cover the entire grounds with CCTV would require a significant financial investment, including the installation of about 15 cameras, at an average cost of £20,000, plus the associated ongoing monitoring and call-out service.

“The council tries hard to strike a balance between maintaining an attractive and tranquil environment while respecting the privacy of neighbours and people visiting the cemetery, and so is exploring potentially less invasive, cost-effective measures to improve security at the cemetery.”

Full statement: 

“We appreciate how distressing it is for friends and family when the grave of a loved one is damaged or vandalised.

“Over the years, we have fortunately had very few acts of vandalism to contend with – but the council has implemented a number of measures since the beginning of the year in a bid to improve security, monitoring and record keeping.

“The cemetery grounds are already surrounded by walls and fencing, and the gates are locked every night with regular patrols conducted by the cemetery officer, who lives on site, and our partners at Thames Valley Police.

“We have begun taking photos of graves where items are removed by staff as part of the ongoing maintenance regime at the cemetery to ensure we have a log of when items have been removed so we can monitor levels of vandalism.

“Posters have been put up to encourage people to report any suspicious behaviour and a form is now kept on site so families can immediately raise any concerns or record any issues they discover during their visit to the cemetery. 

“We are also looking into the possibility of extending the fencing in some areas of the site and potentially installing CCTV at two locations by buildings where there is already lighting. These options will be presented to the High Wycombe Town Committee in the summer. 

“However, to effectively cover the entire grounds with CCTV would require a significant financial investment, including the installation of about 15 cameras, at an average cost of £20,000, plus the associated ongoing monitoring and call-out service.

“In addition, dozens of trees would need to be felled and lights would need to be installed throughout to ensure any CCTV system could monitor the entire site clearly at all times.

“The council tries hard to strike a balance between maintaining an attractive and tranquil environment while respecting the privacy of neighbours and people visiting the cemetery, and so is exploring potentially less invasive, cost-effective measures to improve security at the cemetery.”