A WARNING has been issued to residents not to clean a historic memorial site after complaints were raised that it had been a long time since it was last tended to.

The First and Second World War memorial has stood outside St Andrew's Church for more than a century.

It is typically cleaned once every decade, with the town council having to apply to the War Memorial’s Trust before making any decisions regarding the monument.

The site was last cleaned in 2018, and its condition has been determined by the trust as "fair", as opposed to its "good" status previously.

However, with a number of years since the last clean, some residents have been raising concerns for the maintenance of the memorial, adding how they make look to clean it themselves.

The memorial has stood in the churchyard for over a century The memorial has stood in the churchyard for over a century (Image: Halle Groves) Halstead Town Council has explained the situation and warned residents not to clean the site themselves due to potential damage being caused.

A spokesman said: “Halstead Town Council is aware that people in Halstead are agitating about having the war memorial in the churchyard cleaned again.”

“This was done in 2018 using a grant from the War Memorials Trust.

“A new application for a grant was made in 2023.

“The War Memorials Trust responded, saying that there was no need to clean the memorial again yet, and that doing so too often was likely to damage the memorial.

“Some residents have suggested that they might take matters into their own hands, but this would be extremely dangerous.

“Monuments of this age – 100 years – must be treated only by experts, otherwise further damage is likely to be caused.”

Member of army regiment, the Black Watch, Larry Hawkins, 67, has played an active part in Halstead's community, previously playing the bagpipes for the town's Remembrance Parade.

He said: "I've lived in and around Halstead for many years and as an ex army man myself it's nice to see the memorial."

"Sadly, in the last few years I have noticed the memorial is starting to look really grubby.

"It's an important memorial and it deserves to be in good condition.

"I understand its fragile due to its age, it's just a shame - that churchyard is very picturesque and it would be nice if such a memorial fit that aesthetic."