'Stolen' cemetery gates hunted by police had been taken away for repairs by the council

Detectives launched an appeal to track down thieves who “stole” cemetery gates only to find they had been taken away by the local council for refurbishment. North Wales Police issued an alert after a member of the public reported that the black wrought iron gates had been taken from St Margaret’s cemetery in Rhewl, Mostyn.

The appeal by officers said: “The gates are made of black wrought iron and are 6ft high and 4ft wide with spikes along the top. This theft, which happened sometime between Thursday, September 17, and 12.30pm on Sunday 20, would have required a vehicle to remove the items.”
However, the mystery was solved by former Greater Manchester Police detective and Flintshire county Councillor David Roney. Cllr Roney told how last Monday he had seen council employees working on the gates. It has now emerged that the gates were not in fact stolen, but the council took them away because they were in poor condition and needed to be sandblasted and repaired.
Cllr Roney said: “This could have been a grave concern and it is good that a diligent member of the public took the time to alert police. However it a shame that the police did not check to find out where the gates had gone, before putting out an appeal.” Flintshire County Council later confirmed the gates were removed for repairs.