POLICE say they believe that an "accident" was to blame for the destruction of a 70-year-old war memorial which had been blamed on village vandals.

Officers originally believed the tall granite cross in the middle of Mellor had been pushed off its stand and smashed into pieces in a "dreadful act of vandalism".

But today the man in charge of community policing in the area said further investigations had convinced him that the cross had simply toppled over as youngsters sat against it.

Sergeant John Rigby added: "It now appears there was no malice in the events leading to the damage.

"A group of youths have been congregating around the war memorial for some time and two of them had sat at the bottom of it.

"It would appear that it has been loose for some time and as they sat back it went beyond the point of no return."

Sergeant Rigby said the youths, aged between 12 and 18, had been interviewed in the presence of their parents and that no further action would be taken.

The cross had stood in the village garden of remembrance since the early 1920s and was maintained by Mellor Parish Council, who employ a handyman to keep the garden neat and tidy.

Following the discovery, Mellor councillor Charles Warkman said: "It is a part of Mellor's history and I cannot believe it has been destroyed in one mindless act.

"One thing is for certain these yobs need sorting out."

However, after police revealed that the memorial had been damaged by accident, Coun Warkman refused to comment.

He said: "It is not my place to comment on a matter of council business. The police are to meet us on Thursday night to reveal their findings."

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