A grief-stricken husband has spoken of his heartache after a tree planted next to his wife's ashes was stolen from a Northumberland cemetery.
Sam Quigg, 67, believed the Magnolia tree was a fitting tribute to his wife and planted it next to her grave in the natural burial part of Alnwick Cemetery at the end of last year.
But when Sam visited the site this week, he discovered the tree had been stolen from the grave and a hole was left.
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Sam, of Alnwick, said the act was heart-breaking for him and their three children who had watched their mum bravely battle cancer before passing away.
He said: "I am completely and utterly stumped why anyone would want to steal a five foot tree.
"Some people choose a gravestone but we chose an ecological gravestone with a tree.
"Someone has decided that our family can't have that, the family can't have a focal point at the grave for our family to go back to. I would like to know why someone would think to do that?
"I can't get my head around why they have done it. I don't believe for a moment they have a moral compass or any sense of decency."
Sam said the tree had not been removed by Alnwick Town Council who own the cemetery.
He said: "I spoke to the caretaker who thought I had taken the tree out to put in my greenhouse to keep it safe over winter. He didn't realise it had been stolen."
Now, Sam plans to plant another tree but fears something may happen again.
He added: "It is trepidation if I go ahead and plant another tree.
"I would hate for my children to come and find their mum's grave desecrated. The tree represented so much to me and my family."
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