GRIEVING families arrived at a graveyard to find 30 graves damaged by vandals.Now Cork city councillors have vowed to act before other families suffer the same trauma.
Henry Cremin of the council said that the vandalism involved the breaking of headstones and damage to ornaments and flower pots on the graves in Saint Joseph's Cemetery in Ballyphehane.
"It (the damage) was scattered all over the place in Saint Joseph's," he said. "The families are hugely upset by it – it is a total disgrace."
Mr Cremin said that there had been a history of damage and vandalism at Cork city cemeteries for a number of years.
He said that graveyards at Saint Joseph's and Saint Finbarr's Cemeteries were suffering serious problems with youths at present.
Gardai are investigating the most recent incident that occurred some time over the Friday night or Saturday morning before Christmas.