War graves have been desecrated by vandals using blue spray paint.

Graffiti was discovered on a number of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) war graves in St Mary’s Church, Harefield, on Sunday morning.

In April, vandals tried to saw through the flag pole and a number of graves were also covered in graffiti.

But on Sunday, Cllr Jane Palmer, representative for Harefield, said she was moved to tears after seeing the damage to the graves.

She said: “I stood there and was moved to tears because of the desecration of these graves.

“It is part of our village history and the villagers are outraged by what is happening.

“It is totally unacceptable. There are many people who have given their lives for this country. People in the village are very angry and very sad.”

Cllr Palmer also said the security around the graves would also have to be reviewed, but warned mourners would not want CCTV cameras introduced.