Damage to Ballymena war memorial investigated as hate crime

Police are treating reports of stolen flags and damage to a war memorial in Ballymena as a sectarian-motivated hate crime.

The memorial in the Queen street area, dedicated to men killed in the Battle of the Somme, was targeted in the early hours of Monday for the second time in three days.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “This is the second report we have received relating to damage and theft at the memorial in the past three days.

“The first incident occurred early on Saturday morning when flag poles were broken and flags taken.

“We believe both incidents to be linked and are treating them as sectarian-motivated hate crimes.

“I would appeal to anyone who was travelling in the Queens Street/Harryville areas during the hours of darkness on 8 or 10 August, and who may have noticed any suspicious activity or captured dashcam footage which could assist with our inquiries, to come forward.”