Hamilton gravesite 'destroyed' after car dumped and torched

A probe has been launched after a car was found torched in a Lanarkshire graveyard.

Emergency services were called to the blaze at Bent Cemetery in Hamilton at 11.40pm on Thursday, June 20. Police are understood to be treating the fire as deliberate.

Images from the scene show the damage caused by the fire, with graves being left scorched as the burnt-out motor sits on top of resting places.

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An eye-witness told the Record : "I was walking my dog and found the car. It was completely burnt out - everything inside was charred, the alloy wheels were melted and there was glass everywhere.

"All the trees above the car were burned and damaged. They have since had to be chopped down to prevent any further damage to the surroundings.

"It is so disrespectful to do this on a resting space for the deceased. The area has been left destroyed by the fire."

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were called around 11.40pm on Thursday, 20 June, to a report of a car on fire at Bent Cemetery in Hamilton. No one was injured and the fire was put out by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

“The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.”

Kevin Carr, Head of Facilities, Waste and Grounds at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “There has been no impact on burials planned and the cemetery remains fully open. We will continue to cooperate fully with Police Scotland as investigations continue."

It is not known how much the damage to the cemetery cost the council.

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