A WORCESTER widow has issued a desperate plea for the return of two statues stolen from her husband's gravestone at Astwood Cemetery.

Valerie Blake put the Yorkshire terrier statues on the grave of her husband Mick, who died unexpectedly 13 weeks ago, in memory of the pet he adored.

"I only put them there five weeks ago and when I visited last Saturday they were gone," said Mrs Blake, of Church Street.

"We looked all over but they were nowhere to be seen. My husband Mick adored his little dog, I cried all day Saturday and Sunday."

Mrs Blake said the statues, which are black and tan and about two to three inches tall, had been fixed to the slab, on which the headstone stands, by a stone mason.

They had been snapped off and the flowers on the grave had been strewn around.

Mrs Blake fears youngsters could be responsible. She says there are often school-age children in the cemetery and she has been subjected to "terrible abuse" on occasions.

"I confronted some children about two months ago. They were throwing things and something hit me. I told them off about it and the abuse I got back was terrible," she said.

"On the day the statues went missing, I asked people in the cemetery if they'd seen anything and a woman said she had seen about four lads messing around earlier that day near my husband's plot.

"It's absolutely disgusting. It's somewhere you should be able to go and have private thoughts without the threat of vandalism."

PC Nick Stinton, of Worcester police, said people who stole from graves were "cowardly and despicable".

"The stolen items are of no significance to the thieves and I'd urge them, if they have any feelings, to return them.

"I would also ask anyone with information about the thefts, or those involved, to report what they know to me on 01905 723888 or anonymously to Crimestoppers 0800 555111."