RESIDENTS have rallied together to clean up a Hampshire cemetery vandalised twice in just two weeks.

Vandals have daubed gravestones in graffiti causing "anger, frustration and upset ".

In the space of just two weeks, Ann's Hill Cemetery in Gosport has been desecrated - the most recent incident was on Saturday.

But now residents and professional cleaners have come together to clean the defaced stones at the site off Anns Hill Road.

Commenting on the vandalism, Chief Inspector Mark Lewis, Police, District Commander for Fareham and Gosport, said: “These incidents are shocking, and we share the anger, frustration and upset which will be felt by the victims, as well as the wider community.

“We are taking these incidents very seriously and are investigating them as a priority. You will see an increased police presence in this area as a result.

“Police will be working in partnership with the local council, as well as our local community, to do everything we can collectively to find the people, or person, responsible.

“Our advice to you is that if you see a gravestone that has been affected, please do not clean it immediately. Contact the police first as there will be initial enquiries that we will want to carry out before they are cleaned.

“We do however want to make clear how grateful we are to the local community for pulling together and being so supportive to us and to one another in the aftermath of these incidents.

“If you have any information about who may be behind these incidents, please report this to police in the first instance. You can call us on 101, quoting 44210105394. Dial 999 if a crime is in progress.”

Stevyn Rickets, Gosport Borough Council, Head of Streetscene, said "We are shocked to be dealing with a problem of graffiti on gravestones again in Gosport. This is unacceptable. We continue to work closely with the Police to find solutions on how we can stop this from happening including the potential of increasing lighting, adding CCTV and additional patrols by our Streetscene Enforcement Team in the area.

"We have employed stonemasons to complete a professional clean to ensure no further damage is caused and are grateful to everyone that turned out this weekend to remove the graffiti from friends and loved one's headstones."