RESIDENTS in Chadwell St Mary have taken to social media to express their anger and disgust over and orgy of vandalism and desecration and littering at the local cemetery.

Visitors to the cemetery on Brentwood Road were shocked this morning (Sunday, 4 July) when they visited the graves of loved ones to find a trail of smashed ornaments and other memorabilia.

And an overflowing pile of rubbish showed that people had visited the cemetery with beers and takeaways and appeared to have held some sort of party in the ground.

The images have been captured on video and photographs.

A number of people have asked why it appears that the cemetery was not locked up overnight.

The feelings of local people were summed up in one message on social media: "These people are absolute scum. Do people have no respect?"

Thurrock Council and Essex Police have been invited to comment.