Thieves vandalised a war memorial and broke into a collection box in memory of fallen Royal Marines.

Members of the Poole and district branch of the Royal Marines Association have condemned the ‘mindless’ actions of those who smashed the dry stone wall surrounding the memorial and made off with a charity cash box made out of an armoured tank belly.

Chairman Anthony Ward said the damage was “very upsetting”.

“People say how beautiful and peaceful it is up there, but it really is annoying when you get these mindless yobs that don’t care one way or another.

“Fortunately we empty the collection box regularly, so there wouldn’t have been much in there when it was stolen.

“It’s the damage to the wall that is very upsetting. Only a week before, some thoughtless people put a disposable barbecue on top of it and we had to scrub off all the fat and charcoal stains. Why do people treat war memorials like this?”

The memorial is located on the coastal path by Emmetts Hill, overlooking Chapmans Pool in the Purbeck hills. It was built by the RMA in 1991, two years after the IRA attack on the Royal Marine Barracks at Deal. The memorial remembers those killed in service since WW2 and numerous ashes have been scattered in the monument gardens.

Mr Ward said this was not the first time the collection box had been stolen – a similar incident happened around five years ago.

“After that we had a new one made from tank plate and built it into the wall. The only way you can get at it is by using a crowbar and knocking the wall down. You’d then have to use an angle grinder or oxyacetylene to cut it open,” he explained.

The RMA are appealing for anyone that finds the box to get in touch with police. A Dorset Police spokesperson said they were investigating the theft.

“We were called at 1.30pm on Saturday, August 15. The box contained an amount of cash. The wall was broken to remove it. It is believed this process would have taken considerable time and tools,” they said.

Mr Ward added: “It is going to take a while to repair but this memorial means a lot to the people here. We will carry on – we won’t let this beat us.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 55150069715.