Thieves have also taken the steel slabs from inside the cremation ovens and numerous metal railings from inside the precinct.

Workers at the San Fernando cemetery in Seville have grown tired of the string of robberies that have taken place in recent months, regional newspaper El Correo de Andalucía reported on Tuesday.

Seville’s workers union representative Santiago de los Reyes told the Andalusian daily: “In the last 15 days, we have seen the sorts of robberies that used to be unthinkable.”

“All the metal in the cemetery is being ransacked, the UGT secretary general added.

“(They have taken everything from scaffolding and wheelbarrows, to the letters on the tombstones.”

De los Reyes said the lack of security inside the cemetery was the main reason for the robberies.

“Seville Town Hall is going to pay the price for not wanting to spend more money on security. They’re going to have to replace everything that’s been stolen.”

Cemetery workers fear the tomb raiders will one day confront them. On several occasions they've come face to face with strangers walking around the grounds in the early hours of the morning.