A grieving widow has told how thieves twice stole flowers from her husband’s grave in the space of two days.

Christine Atkins, 69, laid yellow roses at the final resting place of Trevor on Valentine’s Day – also one of their daughter’s birthdays.

A day later she went back to the memorial stone at St Mildred’s Church in Canterbury and the roses were gone.

“It’s so upsetting,” she said.

“I don’t understand – you can buy these roses for £3 from Tesco. Why would someone do that?”

The mother-of-two, who has lived in Canterbury all her life, bought more roses the following day – but they too were taken.

“I feel violated,” she said. “It’s absolutely dreadful. I go to church twice a week and I go to see my husband.

“I’ll talk to him and tell him what I’m doing and what I’ve been up to.

“These lovely bright flowers were there and someone has taken them for a reason.”

The theft follows another from the same churchyard a few weeks earlier, when Lynette Coleman’s 90-year-old mother laid flowers for her husband’s 90th birthday, only for them to be taken a couple of days later.

Mrs Atkins, a former catering manager, said: “I have no idea who has taken them. It could be someone who didn’t have enough money for flowers and took them home for their wife or girlfriend.

“Most people are good people and they wouldn’t think of doing anything like that – these people don’t seem to have any conscience.”

“It’s upsetting and awful. It’s inexcusable.”

Lib Dem councillor Michael Dixey believes locking the gates to the garden of remembrance will not deter thieves from climbing over.

He said: “It is sad that flowers are being stolen from St Mildred’s Church. It is thoughtless behaviour which must be very upsetting for those who have lost loved ones.

“Locking the gates at night might help, but the determined thief can easily climb into the churchyard.”