Village war memorial destroyed by stolen car

Maulden Parish Council said it was working to make the scene safe

A village war memorial was damaged after being struck by a car that was reported stolen.

It happened in Maulden, Bedfordshire, at about 03:20 BST on Saturday.

Bedfordshire Police said the vehicle was recovered from the scene on Ampthill Road.

Brian Woodward, of the Royal British Legion's Flitwick branch, described the incident as "very upsetting for everyone in the village".

Parish councillor Brian Woodward said it was "very upsetting" for villagers to wake up to

The memorial was installed in 1920 to honour people from Maulden who died in combat during World War One.

Fallen soldiers from World War Two were later added to the granite tribute, which has 36 names inscribed on it.

Broken glass was strewn around the memorial in the village, which lies halfway between Bedford and Luton

Maulden Parish Council said its insurers had been contacted and given it permission to make the area safe due to the broken glass.

Repairs to the memorial would take place after the insurance company assessed the damage, it added.

Its clerk, Tracey Bearton, said a stonemason would be assessing the structure on Monday.

Witnesses or people with information have been asked to contact Bedfordshire Police online.