A MORECAMBE man is calling for action to preserve a Morecambe cemetery which has been plagued by vandalism.

Mr Kenneth Schofield says that gangs of youths have made the cemetery behind Morecambe Town Hall a no-go area after dark.

He says that 30 to 40 of the graves have been damaged, including 12 gravestones which were desecrated earlier this week.

Police say they are aware of the concerns and have pledged to work with the city council to look for a long term solution to the problems.

PC John Davies, community police officer for Morecambe, has also promised to step up the number of patrols at the troubled cemetery in the mean time in order to cut down on vandalism.

Mr Schofield, of Marine Road East, walks his dog through the cemetery regularly, but says the group of young people has made him fear for his safety at night.

He said: "There's no respect being shown and nothing is being done about it.

"It looks a mess and somebody needs to do something.

"We walk through there every day, but there is a gang of youths going in there at night which is intimidating and has stopped us walking there later on."

A city council spokesperson said: "This is a problem at the cemetery which the city council and the police are aware of.

"We are working together to try to solve it."