BY RAY SANDERSON

The son of former motorcycle racing star, Richard Britton is distraught after special mementoes were taken from his father's grave.

Eight-year-old Loris, a pupil at Holy Trinity Primary School, Enniskillen, had put the mini racing bikes on his father's grave at Breandrum.

However, last week, when his mother, Marie went to visit the grave, she noticed that a number of the mini bikes were missing.

She believes the graveyard is being used as a drinking place for some students: "Initially, I thought that six bikes had been taken, but when I checked I found it was seven," she said.

Marie, who visits her late husband Richard's grave regularly to light a special candle, explained: "Two were taken around Christmas time, but I passed that off as a child just taking a toy that he liked.

"Obviously, this was no child. We walked around the graveyard and even searched around the grass to check if they had been thrown away, but found nothing," she said.

"When I went there on Wednesday night at 7.00 pm to light the candle, they were all there, but when I returned on Thursday morning, they were gone,' she said.

The mini bikes include a special red Capirossi on a black stand, four green bikes, which were Richard's racing colours, with a distinctive 'No 1' on the side of one, and one with a battery which made a 'vroom vroom' noise.

Over the weekend, Maria and Loris put a note on Richard's grave appealing for the return of the mini bikes.

It read: 'To who ever removed items from Richard's grave: please return them as soon as possible as they are very important to all of Richard's family, especially his little son."

Maria has now publicly appealed for the bikes to be returned .

"The child has gone through enough. It was him who put them on his daddy's grave and now they have been taken by somebody. He was absolutely devastated when I told him."

A spokesman for the Council's Technical Services Department which maintains Breandrum Cemetery said he was aware of a complaint having been made by Mrs Maria Britton to a workman last Friday.

"She said there were things gone off her husband's grave and that his father, Willie would be in touch, but we haven't heard from him since'.

As regards reports of the cemetery being used as a drinking den, the spokesman said no one in his Department had received any reports along those lines.

"We found a couple of cans in one of the toilets, but you can get that anywhere. The toilets are open from 8.30 until 4.30, seven days a week, and they're specifically for people using the cemetery".