Thieves stealing memorial statues to sell for scrap metal

October 27, 2011

Police in the UK are hunting thieves who stole the bronze statue of a Second World War soldier from a memorial in a military town.

The one-off statue was taken to sell on as scrap metal. Grainy CCTV footage shows two men taking 40 minutes to remove the sculpture from its plinth. They then carry it to their light-coloured car before speeding off.

It is estimated the 4ft-high memorial, which was made 13 years ago and stands outside the Royal British Legion building, is worth £10,000. Its loss is the latest in a series of metal thefts up and down the country which have seen historic buildings targeted as well as power and rail companies. Read more