A MEMORIAL stone for Macclesfield music legend Ian Curtis has been stolen from the town's cemetery.

The Hurdsfield-born Joy Division singer was 23 when he hanged himself in a Barton Street flat, in May 1980, ending the band’s meteoric rise to fame.

The kerbstone, at the Prestbury Road cemetery, has been a beacon for Joy Division fans who have visited the town on pilgrimmages from all over the world.

Between lunchtime on Monday (July 1) and the following morning, the memorial was taken and police have now issued an appeal for information.

Inspector Gareth Woods, head of Macclesfield Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said: “There is no CCTV in the area and there are no apparent leads at the time of writing as to who is responsible for the theft.

“This is a very unusual theft and I am confident that someone locally will have knowledge about who is responsible or where the memorial stone is at present.

“I would appeal for anyone with such information to contact Cheshire Constabulary on 0845 458 0000 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”

FOR FULL DETAILS SEE NEXT WEEK'S MACCLESFIELD EXPRESS