Bid for The Repair Shop to fix stolen WW1 memorial

Both stolen plaques were recovered from scrapyards in Essex but one is damaged

A Kent priest says she has asked BBC programme The Repair Shop to help restore her church's damaged World War One memorial.

Christ Church Luton in Chatham reported to the police on Saturday that two plaques commemorating 163 people from the parish who died in the war were missing.

Kent Police recovered both plaques from separate Essex scrapyards by Thursday but one is substantially broken.

Priest in charge the Reverend Andrea Leonard told BBC Radio Kent she had "applied to The Repair Shop to see if they might be able to help" repair the damage.

Priest in charge the Reverend Andrea Leonard said the plaques were reported missing on Saturday

"We will definitely either have it mended or get a replacement at some point because that plaque can't just disappear forever, just because of someone's thoughtlessness," she said.

Both 93kg (205lbs) plaques, which are 105 years old, are now back in possession of the church, but one has been partly cut up.

"It will be a jigsaw for someone and a bit of restoration work, but I'm sure it must be possible," Ms Leonard said.

Eighth arrest made

Kent Police arrested seven men aged between 22 and 51 from the Dartford and Medway areas in connection with the theft, who have since been bailed.

A 38-year-old man from Chatham became the eight person arrested over the matter on Friday.

Officers have also seized a Range Rover, the force said.

PC Alanya Spiller said Kent Police had been "really focused on recovering these two items" and work on "bringing those responsible for the theft to justice" was ongoing.

Ms Leonard praised the efforts of officers.

She said: "Some of them worked four hours beyond their shift to get that plaque.

"They rushed to a scrapyard and just stopped it from going on a shipment elsewhere."