DESPICABLE vandals have damaged a war memorial - the second in a week to be targeted by metal thieves.

Thugs attempted to prise the bronze plaque, dedicated to men who lost their lives in the First World War, from the wall where it has been for almost 90 years.

The memorial, on the front of the Stagecoach depot, on Princess Parkway, Moss Side, has now been taken down for safekeeping and makeshift repairs ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

During the service it will be propped against the wall, under supervision, for people to pay their respects.

The attempted theft comes after thugs stole five bronze plaques from a memorial in Philip's Park, in the Bradford area of east Manchester at the weekend, to sell on as scrap metal.

Stolen war plaques plea

90th anniversary of Armistice Day - Wounds that fail to heal. 

Stagecoach staff came into work on Wednesday to find the four foot by four foot memorial - dedicated to employees of Manchester Corporation Tramways who died in battle - had been partly prised away from the wall and was bent, cracked and had a hole in where vandals had tried to remove it.

Depot operations manager, Chris Icely, has branded the thugs 'despicable' and 'sick'.

He said: "Relatives come to lay a poppy or wreath at this site every year. It is appalling to think there is a market for this in scrap metal."

Chris Makinson, British Legion county chairman, added: "This is likely to be the last big anniversary remaining First World War veterans will see and there are men probably the same age as these thugs serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's shocking to see so little respect."

The plaque will be outside the depot between 10am and 1pm on Sunday before it is taken back in for specialist repairs.

Stolen war plaques plea

90th anniversary of Armistice Day - Wounds that fail to heal.