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Theft of poppy wreaths after Somme remembrance service condemned as 'disgraceful'

News imageBBC Julie Middleton looking straight down the camera. She is wearing glasses and has long dark brown hair. She's wearing a striped top.BBC
Foyle DUP MLA Julie Middleton condemned the theft, describing it as a disgraceful act of disrespect

A DUP assembly member has condemned the theft of four poppy wreaths from the war memorial in Londonderry following a Somme remembrance service.

Police are treating the incident as a sectarian-motivated hate crime and believe it took place between 21:45 and 22:10 BST on Wednesday evening in the Diamond area of the city.

Police said a male suspect was seen running towards Butcher Street after the theft.

Foyle DUP MLA Julie Middleton condemned the theft, describing it as "a disgraceful act of disrespect" following what she said was a dignified and respectful service to remember those who died on the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.

News imageGoogle The war memorial in the Diamond area of the city. Google
Police are treating the incident as a sectarian-motivated hate crime

In a statement, Middleton said it was "deeply disappointing, although sadly not surprising".

"Those wreaths were placed in memory of men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country," Middleton said.

"To target a war memorial in this way is an act of contempt, not simply towards the organisations that laid the wreaths, but towards the memory of those who gave their lives."

Middleton also referred to reports that images of the stolen wreaths had been shared on social media.

"If these reports are accurate, it only serves to compound the hurt caused to veterans, serving personnel, their families and the wider community," she said.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

News imageGetty A number of poppies bunched togetherGetty
During World War One, the red poppy was one of the only plants that grew on the devastated battlefields of Western Europe

In a statement, the Royal British Legion said they were saddened to hear about the theft.

"These wreaths were laid to honour the memory of those who lost their lives in the Battle of the Somme, and we must never forget the extraordinary sacrifice of those who served in the First World War."

News imageTo the left there is a union flag. An armed forces representative dressed in a brown military uniform bowing his head. In the centre of the photo is a man with a dark suit and grey hair, who is holding a poppy wreath. In the background there are people dressed in red gowns lined up watching the ceremony.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn joined other political representatives in laying wreaths at Belfast City Hall on Wednesday

A number of commemoration events were held across France and the UK, including one at Belfast City Hall attended by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn.

The first day of the Battle of the Somme, in northern France, was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army and one of the most infamous days of the First World War.

On 1 July 1916, British forces suffered 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 fatalities.

More than 2,000 men from the 36th Ulster Division died in the first few days of the battle, which would last 141 days.

Thousands of men from what is now the Republic of Ireland also fought for the British Army in the ranks of the 16th Irish Division, which lost about 1,200 men in a single action during the Somme in September.

There were 420,000 British casualties in the battle alone – the price paid for advancing the front line by just four and a half miles (7.2 km).