Illegal Hadrian's Wall plaque removed without damage

The small memorial plaque still remains unclaimed

A metal plaque which was illegally glued to Hadrian's Wall has been removed.

The notice was put on the wall at Steel Rigg, Northumberland, by a party of people, thought to be Australians in memory of a friend called Nick White.

The plaque, was reported to authorities before Christmas.

National Trust experts said removing the plaque was easier than expected because the resin glue it had been stuck on with had not bonded properly.

They said the plaque had proved easy to peel off.

The plaque reads "In memory of Nick White, from your Aussie mates", and bears the date August 2010.

Andrew Poad, property manager for Hadrian's Wall at the National Trust, said:" The plaque itself was gently removed by one of the trust's specialist conservators.

"He was able to identify that the resin between the plaque and the wall had not yet 'cured'.

"It had not fully bonded, perhaps as a result of the cold weather, but thankfully, this meant it could be removed without the need for tools, or a solution to dissolve the resin.

"Our conservator gently peeled the plaque from the wall and thankfully, it came off cleanly, leaving no resin, further marks or damage."

The Roman wall is a World Heritage Site and a scheduled monument, making it illegal to deface or damage it.

The plaque remains unclaimed.

Hadrian's Wall is 84 miles (135km) long and stretches between Tyneside and Bowness on Solway in Cumbria.