A VILLAGE war memorial, badly damaged when it was hit by three vehicles during heavy snow recently, will have to be demolished and replaced. After being inspected by builders and insurance assessors the memorial was deemed to be unsafe and irreparable. By

A VILLAGE war memorial, badly damaged when it was hit by three vehicles during heavy snow recently, will have to be demolished and replaced.

After being inspected by builders and insurance assessors the memorial was deemed to be unsafe and irreparable.

By the end of the week contractors will have removed the entire structure in Clifton including the stone monument containing the names of those from the village that have fallen in wars around the world.

A close inspection found the stone was cracked along with most of the wooden structure surrounding the memorial although the canopy may be repairable and used in the new memorial.

As the memorial is a Grade II listed monument Mid Beds District Council conservation department is expected to give permission for its demolition by the end of the week.

The cost of a new memorial, which is expected to be around £20,000, will be met by insurers.

Not only is the memorial unsafe, it also covers an old well that was used by the villagers before World War I. The memorial was erected on the site because many young people, especially those who had died, used the well as a meeting place.

"We would like to get a new memorial in place as soon as possible," said Barry Livesey, chairman of Clifton Parish Council.

"Much of the structure surrounding the memorial including the wooden canopy can be saved but the stone will have to be replaced as it is cracked.

"We will also be making the area safe and have to re-seal the well cover because it has deteriorated after more than 80 years."

The original memorial was dedicated on March 19, 1922, with trumpeters from RAF Henlow playing the Last Post.

The memorial cost almost £100 with £9 19s 5d being raised during a victory celebration and sports event held in a field in Church Street. A further £90 came from public subscriptions.

In 1947 there was another public appeal to redecorate the memorial when more names were added to the stone and £40 was raised before Armistice Sunday in the November to meet the cost.

Even though the old memorial stone will be removed it will remain in the village but the council has not revealed where it will go.