Council workers have pulled out the stops to repair a trail of destruction left by vandals at an Ilkley cemetery.

Parish councillor Lexa Robinson (Con, Ilkley North) has spent at least two years battling to bring the Leamington Terrace cemetery up to scratch.

And she was devastated when hooligans ripped through the graveyard in August, knocking over a number of headstones and smashing some to smithereens.

But Bradford Council workers have spent several weeks repairing the damage.

Coun Robinson said: "I think we are very quick to criticise people for not doing things so I think it is only right to praise them when they do. I have made numerous visits to the cemetery in recent weeks and I have been very impressed with what I have seen.

"There has been a big effort to tidy up. Hedges have been trimmed, branches cut back and a diseased tree is being removed.

"This will allow the sun to shine on a number of graves which probably haven't seen the light of day in a long time."

Coun Robinson was appalled at the wrecking spree in August. She said at the time: "What I find particularly sadistic is the way the crosses have obviously been targeted. The cross represents people's faith and belief in God."

Many of the crosses have since been repaired and put back in their correct location.

"I am delighted with the way the cemetery is looking now. I am sure the relatives will appreciate it," she said.

And she repeated her plea for relatives to keep an eye on graves.

Following the attack in August, Insp Alison Bennett called on the Keighley-based police community action team to keep a close eye on the cemetery.

The team, consisting of five police officers and a sergeant, made two or three visits and Insp Bennett also revealed the police mounted section had been keeping an eye on it.

A spokesman for Bradford Council said today: "Staff always do their best to restore order. In Ilkley, several headstones were pushed over and the undamaged ones have been put back in place.

"Broken stones have been laid at the head of graves and relatives, whose responsibility it is to repair or replace them, have been informed."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.