Thieves steal from war memorial.

Scouts' flowers stolen

Furious councillors spoke of their disgust this week after mindless thieves stole flowers from a town's war memorial.

For several years Arlesey Town Council has organised a rota in which groups and organisations in the town lay down flowers on a weekly basis on the memorial wall.

And this week Arlesey Cub Scouts spent [pounds sterling]25 from its funds to fill the four vases that are sited on each corner of the wall.

However, after being displayed last week, within just 24 hours two of the vases had gone.

Town mayor Hugh Harper said: "I am very disappointed. This is the first time that anything like this has happened to the war memorial.

"Throughout the year, with the exception of winter, all the local organisations including the town council place flowers every week in the vases.

"This week was the turn of the Arlesey Scouts, but sadly on Saturday night two of the internal containers together with flowers were stolen.

"I am totally disgusted that such mindless persons could do such a thing."

Cub Scout leader Tricia Dalgarno, who displayed the flowers said, "It is such a minor act of vandalism but it really is the moral aspect that gets me and I think a lot of other people.

"I think it is absolutely despicable that this has happened. Aside from the fact it was me who went to the trouble of displaying this week's flowers, it is an horrendous thing to have happened.

"On the other side of the coin we spent [pounds sterling]25 out of funds raised for the Scouts and to find out they have just been stolen is extremely disappointing."

Mrs Dalgarno added: "Everybody in Arlesey has always prided the town on the fact that despite the problem we do have with anti social behaviour, nobody ever touches the war memorial."