Heartless vandals have repeatedly damaged a cross and memorial placed on the spot where the couple died.

For the third time, grieving relatives travelled to Cessnock Road on Thursday to replace a battered cross that had been knocked from the memorial.

And the family vowed to continue their repairs - no matter how many trips they had to make - until the vandals leave the memorial alone.

“The last time this was damaged, it appeared a vehicle had been ridden straight over it,’’ said Bill Cowper, Mrs Lowe’s brother-in-law.

“We are just devastated and very angry at the heartless mentality these people display,’’ Mr Cowper said.

“In the most recent incident, it appeared as if these people had lined up their approach to the memorial then driven straight over it.

“The steel cross that had been firmly implanted was just ripped out, with black marks over Cheryl and Peter’s names.

“So now we are putting the cross back - in two bags of cement,’’ Mr Cowper said.

“We believe these incidents were not accidental, but willfully done.’’

He paid tribute to Maitland City Council workers who had mowed neatly round the memorial.

The cross contained the dates of the couple’s death: 1-02-08, with the letters RIP and the names Cheryl and Peter Lowe.

The couple, beloved by Maitland’s harness racing fraternity, died instantly a few minutes before midnight on Friday, February 1 last year, when a Ford Holden was involved in a collision with their Holden Commodore on Cessnock Road.

Mrs Lowe, 51, a teetotaller, was taking her husband home after she had dropped off two harness racing apprentices at their houses.

Trotting enthusiasts paid tribute to Mr Lowe as a harness racing driver and trainer of merit.

Friends said they were both excited about a new horse float they had brought home from Sydney just a few hours before.

“Whatever happens here, we will continue to ensure this spot is well kept in their memory,’’ Mr Cowper said.

Police investigations into the accident are continuing.