THOUSANDS of pounds worth of damage was caused at a Gwent stone masons as would-be thieves tried to steal headstones.

Ted Williams and Sons, based at Park Road Funeral Home, Abergavenny was targetted by thieves who caused £5,000 of damage.

Owner Ted Williams said: "They entered the front yard to steal the headstones, but they are all secured behind steel bars now after we had a theft 10 years ago.

"I don't know if they wanted to sell them on to another funeral home, to sell them for scrap or what. Who knows what goes through the mind of a criminal?

"But when they failed to get them free, they pushed all the granite pillars over out of spite, chipping and breaking them."

Five different types of headstone, each worth £1,000 were damaged irrepairably. These made up the display in the company's forecourt where customers from the Abergavenny area come to view designs for the graves of loved ones.

"Each weighed around 100kgs, so it wasn't kids and would take a strong man to push them over," added Mr Williams.

The break-in happened on between December 22-23.

Anybody with information on the attempted theft and vandalism can call Gwent Police on 01633 838111.