SURELY there can be nothing more emotive than the loss of a child.

And the tragedy is even greater when that child is snatched away in their formative years.

You can understand, then, the heartache felt by Andrea Walker when she discovered the damage caused to her little daughter’s grave.

Ellie was just three when she died from a form of blood poisoning.

What makes the ‘desecration’ of the grave worse is that the culprits were not young vandals but Bradford Council, the very authority responsible for seeing to the upkeep of the cemetery.

The council has apologised for the distress caused and has promised to restore the plot.

It adds that the restorative work cannot be carried out while the ground is sodden, which is understandable.

But the fact remains that the damage shouldn’t have occurred in the first place.

Greater care and sensitivity must be exercised, particularly when new graves are being dug so close to existing ones.

The council has a duty of care to its citizens, and that extends to the maintenance of its cemeteries.