A chunk of the stone had been broken off and a crack had formed across part of the polished facia.

Rebecca died shortly after she was born four-and-a-half years ago. She was buried at Birkhill Cemetery and her grave has been regularly tended ever since.

However, Mrs Farrell said the incident was not the first time the family had experienced problems at the cemetery and called for greater security at the facility.

She said vases placed at Rebecca’s graveside have been smashed and flowers laid at the stone had regularly had blooms cut off.

Mrs Farrell contacted the Evening Telegraph after the latest incident and said she feared problems would persist if Dundee City Council did not increase security at the site.

She said, “I visit Birkhill Cemetery nearly every week to put flowers on my baby daughter’s grave and nearly every time I go up something has happened.

“A few months ago her vases were uprooted and smashed and in the past few weeks the heads have been cut off the flowers. To my utter disgust, someone has now actually vandalised her stone.

“It is about time something is seriously done about this. Birkhill Cemetery is meant to be a place to remember your lost loved ones, not a place where vandalism should be happening.”

Mrs Farrell — who had her daughter’s gravestone repaired by a stonemason — said she had not reported the latest incident to the police as she did not think it would be worthwhile.

However, she did contact Dundee City Council to express her concern over the lack of security at the semi-rural site.

The Tele also asked whether security would be stepped up at the graveyard.

However a spokesperson for the local authority simply said they were sorry for the situation the Farrells were facing and made no promises over increased security at the cemetery.

She said, “We sympathise with the family at this time. We can only condemn this type of mindless behaviour.”

Mrs Farrell met police at the cemetery today to share her concerns and demonstrate the problems.