A funeral director says he is lost for words after vandals struck an Angus funeral home.
Rod McLaren, manager of David Mackay Funeral Directors in Arbroath, was speaking after the premises in Cowan Street was attacked over the weekend.
Vandals ripped 15 large concrete coping stones off the top of the wall surrounding the entrance to the funeral home.
The wall has previously been targeted by vandals and the owners now face a race against time to get the damage repaired before they hold a funeral on Wednesday.
The coping stones were dumped in the garden but it is hoped they will be able to be put back on the wall quickly with concrete.
Mr McLaren told The Courier: ”The fact it’s a funeral home is bad enough but any kind of vandalism at all is just abhorrent. It’s happened a few times previously but nothing on this scale.
“I don’t know what it is with these people words fail me really because it is absolutely senseless and it has no point to it whatsoever.”
Mr McLaren said the people responsible should consider how they might feel if they had turned up for a service for a loved one only to see the funeral home vandalised.
He added: ”It might be someone who has had a few drinks or it might be kids but unless you actually catch the perpetrator you just don’t know what their reasons for it are.
”It’s something that we all have to put up with from time to time but it’s not something that should happen at all.”
Continued…
”In Forfar we’ve had minor damage previously but minor damage costs money to put right. I’m not able to put an estimate on the cost of the damage just now.
”Normally if the stones have just been knocked off and aren’t broken it’s a case of sticking them back on again. If they are broken it can leave them quite unsightly and they may have to be cemented together.
”Our first funeral this week is on Wednesday but if we can’t get it fixed by Wednesday it might be a case of just tidying up and making the best of a bad job.
”We do our best to keep the premises looking the way they should look for funerals coming and going. It could have been so much worse if we had a funeral service on this morning.”
Arbroath Community Council chairman Mike Cosans also condemned the attack.
He said: ”Mindless vandalism should not be tolerated. It’s a thing that comes up now and again at community council.
”I don’t know whether the lighter nights make things better or worse. Luckily there has not been too much vandalism in the town for a while.
”There were issues with gravestones being knocked down and graffiti previously. It’s a shame to hear about what’s happened because it costs a lot of money to put things right.”
Councillor David Fairweather also hit out at the vandalism after it was brought to his attention by a constituent. He said the people who carried out the vandalism should hang their heads in shame.
”It is mindless vandalism and there is absolutely no need for it. It’s a place for people to go to pay their respects to their loved ones. The people responsible clearly have no thought for grieving relatives.”
The attack has now been reported to the police who are carrying out an investigation.
”In Forfar we’ve had minor damage previously but minor damage costs money to put right. I’m not able to put an estimate on the cost of the damage just now.
”Normally if the stones have just been knocked off and aren’t broken it’s a case of sticking them back on again. If they are broken it can leave them quite unsightly and they may have to be cemented together.
”Our first funeral this week is on Wednesday but if we can’t get it fixed by Wednesday it might be a case of just tidying up and making the best of a bad job.
”We do our best to keep the premises looking the way they should look for funerals coming and going. It could have been so much worse if we had a funeral service on this morning.”
Arbroath Community Council chairman Mike Cosans also condemned the attack.
He said: ”Mindless vandalism should not be tolerated. It’s a thing that comes up now and again at community council.
”I don’t know whether the lighter nights make things better or worse. Luckily there has not been too much vandalism in the town for a while.
”There were issues with gravestones being knocked down and graffiti previously. It’s a shame to hear about what’s happened because it costs a lot of money to put things right.”
Councillor David Fairweather also hit out at the vandalism after it was brought to his attention by a constituent. He said the people who carried out the vandalism should hang their heads in shame.
”It is mindless vandalism and there is absolutely no need for it. It’s a place for people to go to pay their respects to their loved ones. The people responsible clearly have no thought for grieving relatives.”
The attack has now been reported to the police who are carrying out an investigation.