Thousands of grieving One Direction fans are set to make a pilgrimage of anguish to Liam Payne's grave after he was laid to rest at a star-studded service.

And that has raised fears that desperate fans will pilfer mementos from his final resting place, sparking fears the churchyard of St Mary's in the quiet town of Amersham in the UK will need to be manned by security guards, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

A showbiz source told us: "The church authorities are braced for an army of fans who are set to descend on Liam's final resting place. There is bound to be a lot of interest in the first few weeks and there is a worry that devotees will be tempted to take items left in honor of Liam.