Fears war memorial cannon stolen for scrap metal

A cannon statue stolen from a village war memorial could have been sold for scrap, a councillor fears.

People in Kirton, Nottinghamshire, had set up a prominent war memorial on the main road.

Two residents donated a metal cannon statue, measuring about 1ft (12ins), as part of the display.

But on Saturday morning, it was noticed it had gone missing, and Newark and Sherwood district councillor Tim Wildgust said he believes it was probably taken for scrap.

Wildgust, who lives in the village and is a Conservative councillor for the area, said: "Unfortunately it was made of metal, and that's where I believe the problem lay.

"There were four or five cannonballs next to it and they were made of plastic and they were left.

"And of course, scrap metal has value.

"It wasn't tied down because we genuinely believed that people would respect it, because it was a war memorial.

"To me it's quite painful.

"It's an affront to the people who have given their lives and have been wounded or fought for the country."

He appealed for whoever stole it to bring it back and "give us back that symbol the village has grown to love".

The BBC contacted Nottinghamshire Police for comment.

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