A man has been charged after a cenotaph was attacked and poppy wreaths for the fallen were dumped in a stream. Police were called after wooden remembrance crosses were also destroyed.

Horrified residents in Sandbach, Cheshire, raised the alarm after they found their war memorial vandalised.

Police said: “At around 10.30am on Sunday police were called to reports of criminal damage at the war memorial in Sandbach town centre.

Officers attended the scene and found that a number of wreaths had been removed from the memorial and thrown into a nearby stream.

“Wooden crosses which had been laid on the memorial were also damaged.

“The incident is believed to have taken place on Saturday evening.”

Cheshire Police said Pawel Jarecki, 30, of no fixed abode, has been charged with criminal damage and theft. He has been released on bail and is set to appear at Crewe magistrates court on May 5.

The theft charge relates to an alleged incident at a convenience store in Sandbach last Sunday.

Inspector Jim Adams, of Congleton local policing unit, said: “This was a deplorable act and I understand the emotional distress that it has caused in the local community. We are committed to doing all we can to ensure the person responsible for the damage is held accountable and I hope that the swift arrest of a suspect will provide some reassurance.”

The town’s High Street memorial was unveiled at a ­ceremony on April 16 1922, attended by local dignitaries and clergy.

Its elaborate Eleanor-style cross and pillar records 73 lost in the First World War and 37 in the last War.

The theft charge relates to an alleged incident at a convenience store in Sandbach last Sunday.

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