An island wide search is underway to track down a ”hit and run” driver who crashed through the fence of a remote cemetery sending headstones flying off two graves.
The trail of destruction, which also smashed a bench into tiny pieces at Pennygown Cemetery, near Salen, happened as residents and visitors on the isle of Mull were celebrating the new year.
As police continue their investigations Maggie MacLean, whose uncle’s headstone was found several feet away from his grave, while her aunt’s was found flattened under turf, said islanders all over Mull had vowed to keep a lookout for the vehicle and driver.
Maggie, 65, from Salen, said: “They found bits of silver or grey paint on the fence and part of a number plate with the letter T on it. There must be damage to that vehicle, they smashed through a metal fence and a bench, it was just wee bits of wood that was left.”
She said the damage to the two gravestones occurred sometime on New Year’s Eve and added: “There’s been some force behind whatever has hit the headstones, both bases lifted from the ground.”
One of the headstones was on the grave of Miss MacLean’s aunt, Annie MacLean, who died in 1994 and was well known from her time running The Clansman restaurant at Pennyghael.
The other grave hit by the vehicle was that of her uncle Neil MacColl, along with the ashes of his son Duncan MacColl.
Maggie said Neil MacColl’s widow, Maude, who lives in Salen, was a half sister of her aunt Annie and added: “Maude is 87, it’s distressing, she doesn’t need this. Waking up on New Year’s Day, it wasn’t a good start to the year.”
She added that a local farmer had seen the damage when he was out checking his livestock early on New Year’s Day and Argyll and Bute Council staff went to the cemetery on Thursday to clear up the mess.
Maggie said: “Thank you to the council workers who came out to place the stones back where they were, although not standing yet but laying down.”
She added: “It’s going to cost the family quite a lot to get these stones redone, and it’s the not knowing, please whoever did this, come forward and own up.
“CalMac staff have been made aware on the island and at Lochaline too, but I think the vehicle is maybe still on the island.
It could be somebody belonging to the island and they are very, very embarrassed, I don’t think it was done on purpose.”
A Police Scotland s pokesperson said: “Around 11.40am on Wednesday, 1 January, 2024, we received a report of a vehicle having crashed into headstones at Pennygown Cemetery, Isle of Mull.
“The vehicle left the scene. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.