A stolen First World War memorial plaque has been recovered and seven men arrested after a tip-off from an anonymous scrap dealer.

It comes after two plaques that stood in the lychgate of Christ Church Luton in Chatham for more than a century were taken by vandals at around 10pm last Friday (May 23).

More than 150 names, primarily dedicated to Medway soldiers, were on both memorials before they were desecrated.

Now, the police have confirmed that seven people have been arrested and two remain in custody after an investigation led them to recover one of the plaques from an Essex scrapyard yesterday (May 28).

The Priest in Charge, Reverend Andrea Leonard - who has been at the church for six years – said the result was a “great joy”.

It was returned to the church at around 4pm yesterday, as a team of officers carried the 93-kilo memorial back home.

She continued: “Obviously it is very good news, it’s excellent news.

“I was really pleased to see at least one back, and obviously the enquiries are ongoing, so we do hold out hope that there might be the other one still somewhere.

“The police are working very hard to pinpoint what exactly was going on when.”

She explained how the plaque had been sold to a scrap merchant who then phoned the police because he could see there was something important about the plaque.

“It was great joy because I really thought it had probably been melted down by then.

“I’m grateful to the scrap merchant with integrity and to the police because they have a lot of people working on this and they are working on it very hard.”

The force said two initial suspects, aged 26 and 25 from Dartford, were tracked down swiftly after the plaque was recovered from the Essex scrapyard.

In addition, five other men from the Medway area, aged between 22 and 51, were subsequently arrested and remain in custody.

Investigating officer, PC Alanya Spiller, said: “We received a call about the location of the stolen property and patrols were immediately deployed across the Dartford Crossing.

“We are still seeking the other plaque and urge anyone who may be able to assist to contact us. This includes residents with private CCTV and motorists with dashcam who may have relevant footage.

“The loss of these memorials had a considerable impact on the local community, and we were delighted to return one of the missing items to the parish within a few days of the incident.”

Anyone with information is urged to call us 01634 792209, quoting reference 46/87178/25.

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or complete the online form.