Temporary war plaque after theft

Bronze plaques which listed the names of fallen war heroes were stolen

A temporary plaque has been erected at a war memorial in time for Remembrance Day after the originals were stolen.

Four bronze plaques which listed the names of fallen war heroes were taken from the memorial at Mountain Ash in the Cynon Valley in the summer.

It was believed that the thieves may have been cashing in on the rising price of scrap metal.

Rhondda Cynon Taf council has installed a blank, temporary marble plaque until the bronze replacements are ready.

Local councillor Andrew Morgan said: "It still disgusts me that someone could even consider desecrating such a memorial by stealing the plaque.

"The main concern has always been to restore the memorial to a suitable standard in time for Remembrance Day, with permanent restoration to follow.

"Staff have worked hard to commission and install replacements and we hope these will suffice until we can put the permanent features in place."

He said anyone with information about the theft should contact police.

A mounted and framed image of the former plaques will also be used during the event on 11 November.

South Wales Police said there had been no arrests so far and inquiries were continuing.