Ramsgate war memorial turned into bubble bath Published duration 7 November 2018

media caption Work to clear up the damage is under way

A war memorial decorated with crocheted poppies has been desecrated by vandals who tipped soap into it.

The soap suds in the Madeira Walk waterfall in Ramsgate reached such a height they flowed into the street.

Thanet District Council had to wait for the foam to disperse before a cleanup operation could begin.

A spokeswoman said it showed "complete disregard and lack of respect" for the installation marking the centenary of the end of World War One.

image copyright Triangle News image caption Vandals tipped soap into the water feature

Members of Crafty Poppies, the group that put up the display, said they had managed to replace some of the woollen flowers.

Jo Hanchett said: "It was gut-wrenching, especially as it's the centenary of the end of World War One, so that's what's hurt me."

And Marle Beacon said: "It was almost reducing me to tears really. Why did somebody do that? For what purpose, for fun? They thought it was funny? It's not the first time that people have put Fairy Liquid or whatever in there."

They also said they were undeterred by the vandals.

Maxine Morgan said: "It's not broken our spirit at all. We've continued and in fact we actually managed to get another hundred of them [poppies] up yesterday, so it won't stop us."

image copyright Triangle News image caption The waterfall had been decorated with crocheted poppies

The council spokeswoman also said the memorial had been targeted on previous occasions.

"Due to the mindless behaviour of a small minority of people, the waterfall at Madeira Walk has once again been subjected to vandalism and anti-social behaviour," she said.

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image copyright Triangle News image caption Council workers had to wait for the foam to subside

image copyright Triangle News image caption The soap suds reached such a height they spilled into the street

"As we've seen persistent anti-social behaviour in this location, we are also considering the installation of CCTV," she added.

"However this will mean identifying additional funds at a time when council funds are scarce."

The council hopes to be able to restore the waterfall before Remembrance Sunday this weekend, she said.

image copyright Triangle News image caption It is hoped the waterfall will be restored for Remembrance Sunday

image copyright Triangle News image caption The waterfall is near a memorial to those who died in WW1