IT left a sour taste when we heard that thieves had stolen plants from a garden created to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

The memorial at Witney’s Tower Hill Cemetery was created by members of the Witney Trefoil Guild, who saw a perfect opportunity to mark the centenary of the start of the war as well as the 100th anniversary of the Girl Guides.

The display also provided an attractive addition to Witney’s efforts to win an award in the Britain in Bloom competition this summer.

So for someone to steal two large shrubs from the garden shows a complete lack of respect for fallen soldiers and for the team who gave their time to create the garden.

We should be thanking those who have taken up themselves to organise events and create memorials across the country to show our gratitude to the sacrifices given for our freedom during the Great War.

As volunteer Denise Parrott remarked, there is a plaque next to the garden explaining why it was created, so there is no excuse for this mean theft.

The incident has now been reported to the police and we hope that anyone who knows who may be responsible for taking the shrubs passes on the information to the officer investigating the case.