A WELSH flag was stolen from Rhyl’s Remembrance Gardens last weekend while it was at half-mast.

Richard Kendrick, Rhyl's Poppy Appeal organiser for the Royal British Legion, noticed it had disappeared on Saturday afternoon (September 10).

A spokesperson for Rhyl Town Council confirmed that the authority has reported the matter to police.

The flag was at half-mast following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

It was at full-mast yesterday (September 11), to mark the proclamation of King Charles III, but has returned to half-mast today.

Richard called the incident “annoying”, having previously called for CCTV to be installed at the gardens.

In a tweet, attached with a picture depicting the stolen flag, he added: “Even if you didn’t like the Queen, what an awful thing to do.”

He said: “It’s got a cord that makes it go up and down, which is tied up. Somebody burned it, and then took the flag away. We looked everywhere for it.

“They haven’t touched the Union Flag, but there are more hedges around that, so it’s harder to get to.

“Maybe, with the Welsh flag having no hedging around it, and with it being at half-mast, it was easier to get hold of.

“I thought I’d buy another one, but I do think it might go again. It went back to full-mast for the proclamation yesterday, but is back at half-mast today.”

In July, the gardens were again the target of acts of vandalism, after flowers, wreaths, and stones at war memorials disappeared or were ruined, while lilies from the pond were pulled out.

Last year at the gardens, two headstones and plaques were covered in a swastika, Iron Cross and statements related to the Nazi Party.

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Rhyl Remembrance Gardens again vandalised as calls made to install CCTV

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Richard added: “I’m hoping, by it being on social media, more people will keep an eye on the gardens, so there is less chance of somebody going in there.

“It’s annoying. I know lots of people aren’t into the monarchy, but it’s been part of British history for hundreds of years.

“I don’t know if it’s kids, because it was easier to take, or if it’s somebody making a point.”

Cllr Justine Evans (Rhyl East, the ward in which the gardens are situated), labelled the incident "absolutely appalling" and reiterated the need for CCTV at the gardens.

Cllr Evans said: “It is absolutely appalling that someone has carried out such a disrespectful act, particularly at this time of national mourning for Her Majesty The Queen.  

"We should be able to fly flags at half-mast without fear that they are going to get ripped down.

“This is the second incident at the gardens in just a few months, reinforcing the need for adequate CCTV to be in place here.

“In the meantime, I encourage people to keep an eye on the gardens when in the area and to report any suspicious behaviour.”

A spokesperson for Rhyl Town Council said: "We are shocked and saddened to hear that the Welsh flag has apparently been taken from the town's Remembrance Gardens.

"The gardens are a place for people to go and reflect at any time of the year.

"Some may find it a particularly comforting place to be at the moment and this makes the flag's disappearance, if removed maliciously, all the more abhorrent.

"We would ask anyone who might have information on this to search their conscience and return the flag to its rightful place."

If you have any information about the incident, you can contact North Wales Police via its live chat, or by dialling 101.