23 graves vandalised at Edinburgh's RC Mount Vernon Cemetery

Edinburgh - Police in Edinburgh are investigating after the city's Mount Vernon cemetery was extensively damaged by vandals on the night of September 1.

The historical Roman Catholic cemetery was established on Mount Vernon Road in the Liberton area of the city in 1895. On Wednesday night, September 1, vandals caused what police are describing as "thousands of pounds worth of damage", 23 gravestones were damaged and pushed over. Police are appealing for witnesses and are seeking a group of males who were seen in the area at around 11pm the same night. A spokesperson for Lothian and Borders police said, "This is a shocking act of disrespect, and will no doubt cause distress to a number of families, and the total cost of the damage caused could reach thousands of pounds. These headstones are big and heavy, and would have taken some degree of force to shift, so it could not have been done quickly or very quietly. We are appealing for anyone who may have been in the area last night, and who saw something suspicious, to get in touch with police."