Council appeal to relatives after Rangers fans destroy memorial benches

Relatives and friends of those with benches placed in their memory at George Square are being sought by Glasgow city council.

Five benches were wrecked by Rangers fans during their title celebrations at George Square on Sunday night.

They've been taken for "repair and restoration", with the council now starting to contact families to make them aware of the damage.

Plaques recovered from benches reveal the names of those who's memory has been disrespected with behaviour that GCC call "disturbing".

Jacqueline Morton, who passed away in Glasgow's bin lorry disaster, is one of them.

Another plaque reveals that Robert and Jane Shearer, and their son Robert, have also had their bench broken.

The name Joanna Weston, who lived from 1994 to 2004, is on another plaque while John Hamilton had a bench donated by his family too.

The fifth bench was donated by the Netherlands Ambassador Jan Herman van Roijen during his visit to the city in 1997.

A statement from GCC on their thread reads: "We’ve had cleansing and parks teams in George Square since Sunday night, clearing debris and assessing the damage to furniture and plants.

"The lack of care and respect shown to a place and facilities that all Glaswegians should be able to enjoy is disturbing – but destroying memorials placed by grieving families and friends is, frankly, deplorable.

"We believe we have been able to recover any memorial plaques from smashed benches and are now starting the job of contacting families, where we are able. The memorials will be restored; however it is not yet known how much this will cost.

"If anyone is able to locate the families or provide details, please get in touch with us through direct message."

Some Rangers fans are donating to a fundraiser aiming to cover the cost of the repairs.

A Go Fund Me page has had nearly £4000 worth of donations today.

• rangers
• george square
• coronavirus