A REPLACEMENT Silent Soldier for the one that was discovered to have been vandalised at the town’s war memorial on Cheapside last June has been installed in the same location.
The mindless act of vandalism to the original Silent Soldier angered many of the townsfolk, with some taking to social media to express their disbelief.
One contributor wrote: “What a shocking act of disrespect to those who fought for the country that those vandals call home!”
Many more contributors on social media queried whether there was any CCTV coverage to enable the identification of those involved in the vandalism, but that area around the town’s war memorial is not permanently covered by CCTV.
The lack of CCTV coverage prompted Spennymoor Ward Town Councillor, Pete Molloy, who first came across the act of vandalism, to put forward a proposal at the Town Council’s Full Meeting on 25th June for the council to carry out a feasibility study into the possibility of purchasing and placing CCTV in a location to permanently cover the war memorial.
The motion was passed unanimously.
Speaking on the installation of the replacement, Cllr Molloy said: “The replacement Silent Soldier looks great and because of what it symbolises, I hope it gets treated with a lot more respect.
“I’d like to thank all those members of Spennymoor Town Council staff that worked quickly to find a replacement and to get it installed.”
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
