Holocaust Day memorial tree snapped in half

Staff at Ogden Water, Halifax, have discovered the red oak planted in the car park has been snapped in half.

NHS Calderdale chairman Angela Monaghan said: "I am disheartened and disappointed to hear what has happened. The tree was a visual reminder of the importance of remembering and learning lessons from the past, as well as a symbol of hope for the future."

The NHS plans to replace the tree and is working with Ogden Water to look at ways of making it more secure.

Coun David O'Neill, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities, said he was saddened: "This is an insensitive act of mindless vandalism."

The tree is accompanied by a plaque stating NHS Calderdale's hope "to improve the health and lives of people in Calderdale, where everyone is different and everyone matters".