Thieves have struck again and stolen memorial plaques from a cemetery.

The Wandsworth Guardian revealed how Lambeth Cemetery had recently been targeted by heartless criminals, who raided the Blackshaw Road site and made off with about 20 bronze plaques.

It has since emerged that last week thieves stole eight brass plaques, which bore poignant messages in memory of lost friends and relatives, from Putney Vale cemetery's garden of remembrance.

According to a Wandsworth Council spokesman, the missing memorials were noticed by cemetery staff, who have subsequently tightened security.

Parks police officers have been told to step up patrols in the area while screws which kept the plaques in place have been replaced with special anti-tamper bolts.

In addition the council is exploring the possibility of installing temporary CCTV cameras to cover the garden of remembrance.

The authority's environment spokesman Councillor Jonathan Cook said: "The theft of memorial tablets from the cemetery would be a devastating blow to any family.

"Those responsible for such callous thefts are utterly heartless and should seriously examine their consciences and think for a second about how they would feel if the same thing happened to them.

"Luckily we have been able to take speedy action to try and prevent this from happening again. The preventative measures we have now put in place will hopefully prevent any other families from suffering such heartache in future."

The spokesman added all families whose plaques were stolen have been informed and replacements are being arranged.

Anyone wanting to report suspicious behaviour at Putney Vale should call parks police on 020 8871 7532 or report their concerns to the cemetery office.