Historic gravestones at Mill Road cemetery have been graffitied, damaged or entirely smashed in multiple attacks by vandals over the last month. 

The first attack on the 1st January resulted in the desecration of twelve headstones, which caused an estimated £6,000 in repair costs.

A further attack took place on the 31st January in the Centre Circle, with gravestones graffitied and broken. One resident of the nearby area said that offensive imagery had been spray painted onto some of the headstones in white paint.

The cemetery is currently under the management of the Cambridge City Council. However, it is normally the responsibility of family members to attend to any repairs to graves and memorials within the cemetery. There is an exception in the case of damage to listed graves or memorials, though none of the defaced gravestones are believed to fall within this category.

Councillor Alex Collis condemned the “pointless” vandalism in a statement where she pledged to contribute £2,500 to the repairs of the damaged memorials. Councillor Collis described the attacks as “horrible” and “needless” and voiced her sadness for the family members who would have to come to terms with the damage to the gravestones of their relatives.

A statement from the cemetery on its social media account described feelings of "dismay, sadness and anger" in the wake of the recent damage. A spokesperson from the Friends of Mill Road Cemetery went further, calling the incidents of vandalism an attack against the “memory of the dead” and an “affront to us all”.

The Mill Road cemetery is an English heritage Grade II listed site which, while no longer accepting new burials, serves as a place of “relaxation” and remembrance according to Reverend Margaret Widdes, the chair of the Parochial Burials committee.

A representative from the council disclosed that members of the police had been contacted and attended the site in the wake of the attacks. However, police have since closed the investigation into the criminal damage due to a lack of evidence. Despite the now numerous attacks, members of the committee have said that the installation of CCTV cameras is unlikely due to the size of the area.

The cemetery has requested anyone who has any additional information or has witnessed anything related to the damage to get in touch with them urgently. This can be done by email or through their Facebook page.