A Liskeard 12-year-old has been distraught to find his father's grave in the Lanchard general cemetery has been vandalised.
The boy had paid a visit to the grave on to lay some flowers on his Dad's birthday only to discover the damage, and that the three flower containers had vanished.
A relative said one was a specially made marble vase which had cost almost £400.
'For a one parent family that was a lot of money to find' she said. 'It has the deceased's name on it so it is of no use to anyone else.
'We have searched all over the cemetery for it but it has completely disappeared.
'We can't understand why people do such hurtful things, they should leave others alone'.
The vandalism has been reported to Caradon Council, the authority responsible for the graveyard.
This is the second such incident in three weeks. Vandals attacked the cemetery on the weekend March 24 and 25, damaging gravestones, ruining displays of flowers and breaking vases.
Public Services Manager for Caradon Council, Richard Isbell, said: 'It appears to be youngsters. We can be fairly sure that it's the same group of people.'
Describing the provision of security for the cemetery as 'impossible', Mr Isbell said: 'we've had staff checking the area on a fairly regular basis but it's often that things have just been moved around, and it's impossible for us to know if vases are in the right place or not.'
Anyone who can provide any information on the incidents is asked to call Caradon Council on 01579 341000.