THE culprits behind a spate of vandalism and flower thefts at Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery have finally been caw-t - and it turns out it was all down to some feathered fiends.

The mystery of who was removing flowers from pots at the cemetery was causing officers at Barry Town Council confusion until it was solved recently by maintenance staff.

Angie Norman, Deputy Town Clerk at Barry Town Council, said that since the start of the warm weather this year members of the public had been complaining about flowers being removed and strewn around the cemetery.

Concerns were first raised that either council staff were removing flowers or maintenance staff were accidentally catching flowers with their strimmers while cutting the grass - but upon further investigation the flowers that were found lying around were still intact.

The mystery puzzled staff until grass cutters spotted what was going on. Thirsty crows have been removing flowers from the pots in order to drink the water stored in them on particularly hot days.

Angie Norman said: "Barry Town Council would like to make members of the public aware that on occasions flowers are being removed from flower pots on graves, it has been found to be that crows are removing the flowers and drinking the water within the pots.

"The Town Council can only sympathise with the users of the cemetery and advise that this is not an action taken by any staff members.

"We would ask members of the public to refrain from feeding the birds in the cemetery in an attempt to discourage them."

For further information, please contact the cemetery offices on 01446 738663.