A GROUP of teenagers shocked shoppers by turning Preston's Cenotaph into a toilet.

Horrified onlookers witnessed two youths, who looked no older than 14, throwing objects and litter at the historic monument, next to Preston's Flag Market, in broad daylight.

But by-standers were lost for words when the thugs began to urinate against the statue, which was erected to remind Prestonians of people who were killed during the two world wars.

One local pensioner who witnessed the teenagers' distasteful actions was Theresa Ashcroft, of Savick.

She lost several friends during the war and bravely confronted the youths about the incident.

But the thugs responded with a series of four-letter words. Speaking to the Citizen in the hope it may shame the youngsters into apologising, Theresa said: "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw what they were doing. People were just watching.

"My blood almost boiled over. I approached them and all they said was that didn't care, but in more offensive words.

"They obviously didn't know what the Cenotaph represented, or if they did it was obviously of no interest to them."

During the summer months people flock to the monument, one of Preston's most recognisable landmarks, to sit and watch the world go by.

And it is the centre of Preston's Remembrance Sunday activities, with hundreds of people paying silent homage to those who died in the war. Theresa added: "One of them told me it was just an old ruin and should be torn down. What frightens me is that these thugs are our future.

"That monument represents the sacrifices of the people who died in the war - people who aren't much younger than they were.

"I only hope that they read this and feel ashamed."

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