Crematorium staff 'blown away' by community help after theft

St Faith's Crematorium is well-known for having bright floral displays

Staff at a crematorium targeted by burglars in an overnight raid say they have been "blown away" by the response from local people.

The workshop at St Faith's Crematorium in Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, was broken into at some point between 20:00 BST on 19 July and 06:00 BST on 20 July.

Gardening equipment worth thousands of pounds - including a ride-on lawnmower - was taken.

The crematorium's social media post with news of the theft has been shared almost 7,000 times, with offers coming in of help to replace equipment and to provide alternative gardening services.

Darryn Fox, John Broadbent and John Leech outside the tool shed which was targeted

"We have been blown away by our local community and their offers of help and support," said Debbie Leah, the crematorium's business leader.

"The team would like to thank you all."

Items including a tractor, chainsaws and hedge cutters were also taken from the site north of Norwich.

The crematorium is set in 20 acres of memorial gardens and is owned by the Crematorium and Memorial Group.

The site is famed for its bright floral displays.

In its Facebook post, St Faith's apologised "to our lovely families that it will take time to secure the premises and get back to our normal level of service in the gardens".

Norfolk Police is investigating and has asked for anyone with doorbell or dashcam footage taken in the area during the timeframe of the burglary to get in touch.