In an act of mindless vandalism, the brass map on the viewing point at the top of Thurstaston Hill has been badly damaged.

The damage came to light this morning.

It appears that someone has taken a chisel or similar implement and ripped out the centre of the map.

What makes this offence even more galling is the fact that, in August 2016, the map was stolen, never seen again, and had to be replaced.

Wirral Council was obliged to ask the public to share their photographs of the plaque in order to recreate it as accurately as possible.

The council said it was keen to ensure that the replacement was in keeping with the tradition of what was there previously, because the theft had highlighted how valuable the site is to the local community and visitors.

This new plaque was made and installed and now, four years later, it seems yet another copy may have to be made depending on how bad the damage is deemed to be - unless it is deemed unwise to expose it to people with nothing better to do than ruin it.