A man branded thieves "scum of the earth" after they pilfered his mother's grave twice within two months of her death.

David Riley told how 75-year-old Majorie was buried at Bradford's Bowling Cemetery in March following a battle against serious illness.

But since that time, two bouquets of flowers have been stolen from her headstone, sparking further grief and outrage among relatives.

Mr Riley, 47, of Queensbury, said the first set of artificial flowers were taken within days of the funeral and a second lot went missing last week.

He said: "The people who did this must be the scum of the earth.

"Something must be done to stop this. From what I have heard this has been a problem in Bradford cemeteries for some time now."

Mr Riley called for urgent action to be taken, adding: "Proper CCTV systems need to be installed and regular patrols carried out. This is supposed to be sacred ground but those who have died are not being shown any kind of respect at all."

His comments came after the Telegraph & Argus reported how thieves had targeted the grave of Wayne Fletcher, taking teddies, drawings, flowers, messages and ornaments at Scholemoor Cemetery.