CALLOUS vandals damaged one of the town’s historic war memorials in a botched metal theft attempt.
Residents
were said to be shocked and stunned after seeing that the bronze sword
on the side of the monument in Bennetthorpe was bent out of shape.
Thieves
damaged the 5ft 4in piece in what is understood to have been an attempt
to steal the item. However, they could not prise it from its stand.
They
removed the sword from the stand in order to make the repairs by using
heat treatment to restore it back into its original shape.
They then re-attached it to the monument.
Jeff Swift, chairman of the Sprotbrough branch of the Royal British Legion, told the Free Press he was saddened by the news.
He
said: “That monument represents people who have made the ultimate
sacrifice and for people to go and do something like that is not on,
they obviously didn’t think about what that memorial means to people.
“It’s very sad that we have people in the community who would do something like this.
“Thankfully it’s been rectified and hopefully it will not happen again.”
A
spokesman for South Yorkshire Police confirmed that the December 15
incident had been reported and that detectives were continuing to
investigate the matter.
The borough has been subjected to several metal thefts over the past year with homes, churches and firms being targeted.
Companies
including those sited at Hayfield Business Park have been hit more than
once over the past two months by copper crooks.
Business owners were forced to send staff home because they had no phonelines and the internet could not be used.
Police
officers and BT engineers have also been called out on several
occasions to deal with cable thefts which have left homes in areas such
as Lindholme, Hatfield and Stainforth isolated with no phoneline
connection.
From: http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/doncaster-news/uproar_as_metal_thieves_damage_tribute_to_war_heroes_1_4103625
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