Memorial plaques have been prised from benches in a popular park.

In total, 27 of the tributes have been taken from Riverside Country Park in Gillingham.

The green space is operated by Medway Council and the items were reported missing between the last week in October and the first week in November. The police are involved.

Gillingham resident Colin Matthews, who visited the park to give his input into its five-year development plan, was stunned by the thefts.

The retired procurement officer was told what had happened by a ranger and walked around to see for himself.

The grandfather-of-two said: "The park has always been a popular place for families and, even more so in recent times, a place to enjoy.

"When I saw what they'd done I was just really? The plaques are such a personal thing, it makes you wonder what the affected families must feel."

"The people who did this have no feeling or emotion about the act that they are doing to the people who have placed the plaques there to remember loved ones. To them, it's something of purely monetary value."

He added that he'd spoken to a woman visiting from Dover who was also stunned by the thefts.

The council's head of environmental services, Sarah Valdus, said: “It is incredibly disappointing that a number of memorial plaques appear to have been stolen.

"We have reported it to the police. We have spoken to all of the families affected, that we have contact details for, and we are exploring a range of options with them to replace the plaques.”

Are you a family member affected by the thefts? Please get in touch by emailing medway@thekmgroup.co.uk

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