Anger after poppy in front of war memorial taken down

The poppies were tied to the railings by the Shaw and Crompton Royal British Legion (RBL) branch ahead of Remembrance Sunday next weekend.

After they were placed on the railings this week, one was taken down, which has sparked anger among residents.

The poppies in front of Crompton War Memorial (Image: Julie Atkins)

Julie Atkins, Secretary of the Shaw and Crompton RBL branch, said: "We are just trying to make people aware of Remembrance Day and thought we would make it look good by adding the poppies to the railings near the Cenotaph.

"I put a couple up at first to see if they would still be there after a couple of days so added some more and someone has taken one, they’ve cut if off as I put them on with cable ties.

"We have some more and I will put those up sometime over the weekend. People in the locality have offered to replace the one stolen as they cost £5 each."

Ms Atkins, third from left, and other members of the Shaw and Crompton Royal British Legion branch (Image: Julie Atkins)

Many people on social media have condemned the theft of the poppy, with some offering to pay for the poppy to be replaced.

One commenter on Facebook wrote: "Disgusting. There is no respect these days."

Another commented: "Why do the low life of our community feel it’s ok to do this, hope they feel as sick of this as the rest of us, it’s very kind of people willing to pay for replacement."

The Shaw and Crompton RBL branch organises a number of events in the community, ranging from coffee mornings to the Remembrance Day parade and other memorial ceremonies.