Shocking moment thug vandalises WWII memorial and tears down Christmas lights

The incident happened in Hove (Image: Jam Press)

A thug tore down Christmas lights and vandalised a World War Two memorial in a church attack in East Sussex on Monday. It happened at St Andrew's Church in Hove, where staff found the churchyard in disarray after a shocking act of late-night vandalism.

CCTV footage showed a man destroying floral tributes and trying to knock over a historic grave. The church's outdoor string lights were ripped down, with the bulbs smashed across the nearby road, and one of the historic graves was left "desecrated". Residents slammed the thug as the local "grinch".

Thug tears down Christmas lights and vandalises WWII memorial in late night attack at church

A spokesperson said the "battle" to maintain the churchyard for the community is "being lost" due to anti-social behaviour in the area.

They said: "Sad to find that the church outside string lights had been torn down last night and each bulb taken out and smashed on the road.

"When we checked the CCTV we found that the WW2 memorial Lych Gate was vandalised with flowers being ripped out, signs ripped off the walls and sign post kicked over.

"More concerning, the person had desecrated one of the historic graves by trying to pull it over.

"It often feels that the battle to maintain the churchyard for community use is being lost due to the huge volume of anti-social behaviour that happens in the area.

"Really hard as the work we want to do is to help those people."

One resident said: "I didn't know the Grinch lived in Hove?

"The good news is that the light is in our hearts, and no-one can snuff those out if we don't let them."