Vandals have emptied out sand beside a war memorial which had been collected from the Normandy beaches.

Those who recently went to pay their respects at the memorial, in St Nicholas’ Gardens in Whitehaven, were left angered when they discovered what had happened.

But the Rector of Whitehaven said this is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ as a number of unsocial incidents have recently taken place.

The Rev Robert Jackson said he often finds people using the grounds as a toilet and regularly comes across empty alcohol cans, needles and even knives. He is now appealing for anyone who can help maintain the popular town centre grounds to come forward.

Rod Eglin, who lives in the town centre, has offered to upkeep the Normandy war memorial after he went to pay his respects earlier this month on the anniversary of the D-Day landing.

“There’s a little wooden box for which Normandy veterans collected some of the sand from the beach they landed on and brought it back,” said the 58-year-old.

“I went down on June 6 and, as I got closer, I saw that somebody had dumped the sand onto the floor and the poppies which had been in there looked like they had been thrown to one side. Whoever had done it did it on purpose.

“People’s blood was spilled on those beaches and for somebody to do that it’s horrendous. Being ex-forces myself and having served in Iraq, I’m upset about it.”

Mr Jackson said he was not surprised when he was told what had happened. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “The grounds have been used as a toilet by quite a few people – I have caught people urinating and defacating in the ruins.

“When I caught one man I was very disappointed with him. It was around 4pm and he was stoned.

“It’s also supposed to be a no- drinking area but there’s always cans in there, and just this week one of the flagstones at the front of the church has been picked up and thrown.”

He said he was very disappointed when he heard what had happened to the memorial.

“It’s a terrible thing and I’m really sorry that it happened but we don’t have the ability to watch over the grounds – it’s really sad.”

Mr Jackson wants anyone who can help maintain the grounds to get in touch. Funds are low, as the bulk of the money raised through the congregation, £2,500, is used to empty the bins.

Anyone who can help should call the administration office on 01946 599485 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.