Damage to walking trail is 'detestable act' - police

The National Park Authority said it was "deeply saddened and appalled" after a walking trail featuring stories about the South Downs was vandalised.

It said 13 plaques along the Sussex Heritage Coast from Seaford to Eastbourne had been removed in a "targeted attack".

The authority said it was treating the removal of the plaques as "a criminal act" and had reported it to the police.

Sgt Tom Carter, from Sussex Police's rural crime team, said: “The fact that someone chose to steal plaques from this particular trail, which features work by female writers from black and global majority backgrounds, is a detestable act."

The plaques are believed to have been removed with a screwdriver as the screws were put back into the posts.

An authority spokesperson said: "As no other plaques were targeted in the area, we can sadly only assume that the theft is targeted and racially motivated."

The plaques were linked to 13 audio stories that were part of a trail unveiled in 2023 called "We Hear You Now".

The initiative celebrated the "deep connection that local writers of global heritage" had with the landscape.

Tim Slaney, the authority's interim chief executive, said the incident was "deeply shocking and appalling".

"We stand in full solidarity with the writers who put their hearts and souls into this project over many years to create a trail that many people have enjoyed."

He said the authority - which has started reinstalling the plaques - would "continue to celebrate the voices of everybody, and embrace the full spectrum of all our communities".

Sgt Carter said: “While some may see this as merely the theft of pieces of plastic, it is, in reality, the theft of artistic expression."

Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to contact Sussex Police.

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