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COATBRIDGE Cenotaph has been vandalised with pro-IRA graffiti.

The damage was discovered last night and has sparked outrage.

The memorial sits in Langloan, at the corner of Bank Street and Blair Road, next to West End Park and close to Langloan Primary School.

Republican slogans have been scrawled all over the memorial – in some cases across the names of soldiers who died fighting in the Great War.

As well as references to the IRA, the year of the Easter Rising, 1916, has also been daubed on the cenotaph by bigoted vandals.

One grandmother-of-seven, who did not wish to be named, said: "It is an absolute mess.

"It's bloody awful and has sickened me. I have seen the pictures on Facebook and it's a sad day for the town.

"It is well out of order and shows a complete lack of respect. I don't know the mentality of these people.

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"These people need to remember that we all fought together back then. We were all on the same side."

Another woman, standing at the Cenotaph taking pictures to send to her brother in England, said she was "absolutely disgusted".

Coatbridge police have launched an investigation and today appealed for information.

Inspector Louise Brownlie said: "We have received several reports of vandalism at the Coatbridge Cenotaph.

"This senseless act has no place in our community and we are attempting to trace the persons responsible.

"That area is a priority route for our dedicated community policing teams and we will continue to engage with local residents on this issue.

"Our partners at North Lanarkshire Council will shortly be removing the graffiti from the Cenotaph.

"Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact community police at Coatbridge on 101."