THE owner of an eco-friendly burial site has spoken of his disgust upon discovering thieves had ripped off and stolen security gates worth up to £15,000.

Owner of Tackley's Weaveley Arboretum David Wilson said the gates were stolen early on Tuesday. Ironically, they had been installed to protect the huge 30-acre green burial ground, which features a mini stone circle, from potential thieves.

He said: "We had a wonderful set of gates, but we came to work and they were gone.

"We saw cctv footage showing the men were here for about three hours, from midnight to about 3am. The gates are horrendously heavy. When you watch the cctv you can see sparks coming off the machines when they cut off the bolts."

The gates are covered by insurance, but any new ones will take eight to 10 weeks to arrive."

He added: "We have temporary ones but they can be bashed down easily.

"I just feel disgust. This is the second raid we've had. The last one was two years ago – they drove in and stole all our tools and equipment.

"These people know what they are doing. The ones from the other night came in and manipulated the electronic gates without the keypad. They are experienced."

Weaveley Arboretum holds 25,000 graves and Mr Wilson hoped to make it the most prestige burial site in Oxfordshire.

He added: "If you come up and see the site you will see why we need these gates. It's beautiful. We have all these trees, a mile of roads, a reception area, and a mini Stonehenge. It took years to get planning consent and plant all the trees. It's a big project".