Liam Payne's grave at risk as fans flock to pay tribute

Liam Payne’s grave is reportedly facing serious threats of theft, with concerns over a growing crowd of fans wishing to pay their respects to the late One Direction singer.

RadarOnline highlighted the potential risk of fans pilfering from the churchyard of St. Mary’s in the UK, where the Teardrops hitmaker was laid to rest on Wednesday, November 20.

Sources suggest that the church is "bracing" for a flood of fans eager to visit Payne's final resting place.

"The church authorities are braced for an army of fans who are set to descend on Liam's final resting place," an insider told the outlet. "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."

There are even talks of stationing round-the-clock security guards at the site, at least for the first few weeks until the public's interest begins to quiet down.

"The last thing his grieving family needs is the prospect of grave robbers rearing their ugly heads,” the source added.

For the unversed, the 31-year-old Payne tragically passed away after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He was in the city to attend a concert by his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan, who was joined by other 1D members, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson, at Payne’s funeral.