SOME of the metal commemorative plaques at the Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait have been removed.

Of the three plaques, which were part of the exhibit of the original bridge’s construction on the Gwynedd side of the Menai Strait, two were noticed to have disappeared on Wednesday, September 29 by Dr Craig Shuttleworth, a research fellow at Bangor University’s School of Natural Sciences.

The plaques were still in place when a member of the Menai Bridge Community Heritage Trust led a guided tour, which included a visit to the Britannia Bridge, the previous day.

Dr Shuttleworth said it looked as if the plaques had been removed with a bolster chisel, and that the damage to the stone was ‘very fresh, with white tool edge markings’.

The bridge has been in existence since the mid-1840s and is now comprised of two tiers, the second of which was opened in 1980.

Dr Shuttleworth, who also reported the incident to police, said: “I walk that way so often and have looked at it in the past, so it was obvious that it had gone, but I suppose quite a few might have walked past and not thought anything of it.

“If you walk the coastal path, you can see that piece of important heritage, so it’s interesting looking at that section of the bridge. When we’ve taken students on walks of the coastal path, it was an interesting thing to show them.

“I think it’s a real shame. I have no idea about the motivations behind removing it, but whatever it is, it’s not great, because it was of use to a lot of people. Even if they replace it, it won’t be the original (plaque) anymore.”

A spokesperson for Network Rail, who is responsible for the site, said: "We have been made aware of one of the commemorative plaques on Britannia Bridge being removed.

“We are already working on replacing the plaque and it will be installed as soon as possible.”

North Wales Police has also been contacted for comment.