Vandals pour paint over memorial

Shameless vandals have daubed black paint across a war memorial in the Black Country, just over a week before Remembrance Sunday services to honour fallen servicemen.

Council workers had already scrubbed one lot of the paint off the monument in Victoria Park, Tipton, but within hours the vandals had struck again, pouring the paint over every side of the monument and blocking out the inscription.

Poppy appeal collector Malcolm Steventon was on his way to sell poppies at Co-op near to the park yesterday morning when he saw workers attempting to clean black paint off the cenotaph.

As he returned home, he saw it had been attacked with black paint once more.

Mr Steventon, aged 67, of Tipton, who served with the Territorial Army Staffs Armoury, said: "It's heartbreaking to see it.

"It's been done twice in a day. It has happened before and now they've done it again. It makes you wonder what on earth is going on.

"They had a really good go at it, it was completely covered, all the way round it."

The cenotaph is due to be the centre of a service next week on Remembrance Sunday, with people gathering from 10.45am ready for a minute's silence at 11am.

Sandwell Council has been informed, and workers will attempt to remove it in time for the service.

Stupidity

It is not the first time that it has been vandalised at this time of year. Ray Brothwood, from Tipton Civic Society, said: "I remember a couple of years ago we came along on the morning for the Remembrance Service and the wreaths that people had already laid down had been thrown in the pool.

"I had to fish them out before everyone got there and put them back so people didn't notice what had happened, it would have been very upsetting for them."

He added: "It's very sad. It's pure stupidity, at this time of year it makes it even worse because they know they are going to be used for the services, that's why they do it I suppose."

By Lucy Townsend