A Union Jack lowered to half-mast in tribute to the Queen Mum has been stolen from Southend's Civic Centre.
A council spokeswoman today denounced the theft as a "despicable act at a time of great sadness and national mourning".
The outrage has caused extra sadness for royalist residents in the town because of the Queen Mother's special place in the history of the Civic Centre.
She opened the building, in Victoria Avenue, on October 31, 1967, after taking a tour of Southend and having lunch at Porters with the then mayor Alderman Tom Ewart James.
Charity Canvey 2000 has come under fire for not hanging its flag at half-mast to mark the death of the Queen Mother.
It has received a number of complaints over its flag in the new BP-sponsored gardens on the seafront, but says it was permanently secured to the top to stop it being ripped down by vandals.
More on both these stories in today's Evening Echo
Published Thursday, April 4, 2002
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