RESIDENTS were left shocked after a painted war memorial was left vandalised.
The memorial on the wall along the River Walk in Witham was vandalised when a pink painted face appeared on it.
It happened some time overnight on Wednesday.
Claire Rutter walks past the memorial regularly, she said: "It was lovely to look at before, and there are more drawings on the building too.
"It's just a shame we can't have anything nice."
Michelle Johnson said it is not surprising considering the level of anti-social behaviour in the town.
She walks past the memorial, which has been on the wall for about a year, regularly with her dog.
She said: "It's sad to think someone could be so disrespectful.
"Sadly I am not surprised it has happened since anti-social behaviour has increased a lot lately.
"We can only hope we get enough signatures on a recent petition to help get the policing that is necessary to the area to be reinstated."
The memorials were painted at the end of last year by pupils from New Rickstones Academy, alongside Scott Irving of spray can art company Brave Arts.
The project was part of the town's First World War centenary commemorations and took about a week to complete.
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