TWO women are accused of losing the plot by choosing to sunbake atop graves at a Gippsland cemetery.

A photograph of the sunseeking holiday-makers catching rays at Glenmaggie Cemetery caused outrage across the state when it was circulated on social media.

Angry residents and family members with loved ones buried at the site described the irreverent act as offensive and disrespectful.

“This is disgusting this is my friend’s grandparents grave they are sunbaking on,’’ one wrote on Facebook.

Another said her grandparents, aunts and uncles were all buried at the cemetery.

“You disrespectful girls, this is truly shameful,” she wrote.

“The people buried in this cemetery were hard working and respected within this community. I am saddened that our families have had to see this image.”

The women, aged in their 40s, dug a hole for themselves by brazenly stripping down to their bikinis and sprawling on the gravestones overlooking the picturesque lake.

Peter Coleman, a member of the Glenmaggie Cemetery Trust, has three generations of relatives buried at the site and said the community was bitterly disappointed.

The couple whose graves the women lay on had been buried for 30 years and had family in the area.

“It’s not the done thing in my eyes, it’s ridiculous,’’ he said.

“Thankfully there was no damage, that was my big concern.’’

He said he would appreciate an apology from the women to the wider area.

elissa.doherty@news.com.au