Remembrance mural vandalised with spray paint in Witham

A member of the public spotted the mural had been defaced on Tuesday evening

A remembrance mural has been damaged by a vandal who used spray paint to deface it with graphic images.

Witham Town Council said the artwork, situated on the Essex town's river walk, had been ruined sometime between Monday and Tuesday.

The incident was reported to police after it was spotted by a member of the public, the authority added.

Deputy mayor Lucy Barlow called the vandalism "deplorable" and criticised the perpetrator.

"I find it incomprehensible enough that any artwork in the town should be defaced in such a way, but to choose this piece, with all the emotion and significance attached to its subject, is deplorable," she said.

"I love the community feel of our town and am glad that such inconsiderate individuals are in the small minority."

Ms Barlow, a Labour councillor, said the painting would be restored and an artist had been contacted for help.

The mural, displayed on an Environment Agency gauge station, was vandalised in November 2021 when a swastika was painted on to it.

It was made in 2015 with the help of pupils from a local primary school.