THE MUM of little Shannon Peters, who was struck down by meningitis last November, is devastated that heartless ghouls have been stealing from her daughter's grave.

Shannon's grieving family and friends have taken toys and wind chimes to the grave but are heartbroken to discover these tributes are being stolen from St Helens Cemetery.

Shannon's mum, Jayne Peters, said: "I'm very upset about the whole thing. There were two angels on Shannon's grave, and one of them belonged to my Nan, Shannon's great-grandma. I have already replaced the one I bought her, but my Nan's angel has a lot of sentimental value."

"This is happening nearly all the time now - if anyone has seen these things I just hope they will put them back."

She added: "Stealing from a grave is bad enough, but to steal from a child's grave is just awful.

Shannon's granddad, Leonard, said: "I want to make it clear that we're not the only ones to have lost a child. I've met other people who have told me that things have been taken from graves. I thought that the grave robbing days were long gone."