Castleford war memorial vandalised over Easter weekend

By James Carney
Published 11th Apr 2023, 17:52 BST
Updated 11th Apr 2023, 17:52 BST
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A momument to soldiers from Castleford who gave their lives in the first and second world wars has been vandalised.

A man has been arrested and charged after the war memorial on Powell Street was defaced.

West Yorkshire Police has asked people to not fuel tensions and allow the legal system to do its job following the incident, which the force acknowledged has caused great upset in the town.

A spokesperson said: “An individual was arrested for various offences. This was in relation to an incident which took place at the war memorial on Powell Street, Castleford in the early hours of April 8.

WWI (World War I) memorial, Castleford. Picture of the original WWI memorial on the side of the Royal British Legion building, as well as the newer memorial for both WWI and WWII. p317b405WWI (World War I) memorial, Castleford. Picture of the original WWI memorial on the side of the Royal British Legion building, as well as the newer memorial for both WWI and WWII. p317b405
WWI (World War I) memorial, Castleford. Picture of the original WWI memorial on the side of the Royal British Legion building, as well as the newer memorial for both WWI and WWII. p317b405

“The individual has been charged and will appear in court for various offences.

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"We now appeal to the local community to support the local officers and our partner agencies.

"We advise people to not fuel local tensions and target anyone who you think may be involved.

"We appreciate the alarm and distress this has caused and this was factored into the police response.

"We must now let the court process take it's course.”

Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford MP Yvette Cooper said a minority should not be able to make trouble for everyone else in the town.

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She said: "Damaging a war memorial which should be about respect for the fallen is a complete disgrace.

"Rightly people across Castleford have been appalled by some of the scenes and reports we saw over the Easter weekend.

"I have been in touch with West Yorkshire police over the Easter weekend about what has happened, and I’m continuing to call for more neighbourhood police in Castleford and all our towns including restoring town centre patrols.

"A small minority cannot be allowed to cause huge problems for everyone else.”