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A retired church elder has been left outraged after vandals broke into her garden to deface her Saltire.

Pensioner Rita Calder had erected the flag on the down pipe of her outside garage just over a year ago.

However, last week the 68-year-old found that vandals had broken into her garden to write offensive, abusive and sectarian messages all over it.

Outraged Rita, who spends time volunteering within the Blantyre community, said: “It’s just a horrible thing to have happened. This Saltire has hung from my garage since the referendum. It is my flag as a Scot.

“This morning I found it defaced by at least two cowards, one to hold it and one to write vile comments including F*** the Queen, Death to the Union and Nazi Royalist. It also has ‘Yes’ written across it and ‘SNP’.

“What gives people the right to come onto my property and deface my flag? It is sacrilege. If people think it is a joke then is not a funny one, and it is now in the hands of the police.”

Rita, who does a lot of work for Hamilton District Twinning Association, put up her flag during the period of the referendum campaign while she was supporting the Better Together campaign.

She added: “I put my flag up in my garden as I believe in the two flags. Both flags in my opinion belong to me. The Saltire is built within the union flag.”

The SNP MP for Hamilton West, Margaret Ferrier, this week condemned the vandalism. She said: “There is no excuse or pardon for vandalism like this.

“Not only is the language used incredibly offensive, but the offenders seems to have singled out the victim by name.

“I can only imagine that this has caused an enormous amount of distress. Nobody should be subjected to abuse of this nature.

“The individuals responsible do not speak for me, or the vast majority of those of us who are pro-independence. I utterly condemn this behaviour in the strongest possible terms.

“Anyone with any information should come forward to Police Scotland to assist with their enquiries.”

Inspector Derek Hamilton said: “Police Scotland are making enquiries following a report of a Saltire flag being vandalised with graffiti, whilst within in a garden area of a house in Blantyre, overnight on Monday, January 4, into Tuesday, January 5.

“I would ask anyone with information about those responsible to contact police via 101.”

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