A Saundersfoot couple have been saddened after damage was caused to their daughter's grave in Bethesda churchyard.

When Audrey and Duncan Hilling, of Scandinavia Heights, visited the grave of their daughter Ceri in the churchyard they were shocked to find that a cast-iron horse statue placed on the grave had been broken off and left lying nearby.

Ceri, who lost a brave battle against cancer aged just 51, four years ago, was a renowned horsewomen and the statue had been placed on the grave by her family as a lasting tribute to her love of all things equine.

Mr. and Mrs. Hilling had visited the grave on November 11, and the statue was in pride of place, but when the couple visited again last Monday they were distressed to find that it had been snapped off its legs and discarded next to the grave.

It is unclear as to whether the damage was caused by an attempt to steal the statue or through an act of wanton vandalism, but no graves nearby appeared to have been touched and local police are investigating.