Devastated families have hit out at vandals desecrating the not-yet-opened memorial garden to honour the victims of the Manchester Arena bombings.
The Glade of Light will officially open in the New Year to mark the 22 victims of the terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert in 2017.
But relatives of the victims have taken upon themselves to patrol the gardens to prevent people from vandalising the memorial in Manchester City centre.
They claim that hundreds of trespassers have ripped off the fencing and are using the area to defecate and smoke drugs.
Caroline Curry, from South Shields, whose 19-year-old son Liam was killed in the bombing alongside his girlfriend, Chloe Rutherford, 17, said she had been left devastated.
She said she saw a woman vomiting all over the area, and groups of youths openly smoking drugs.
Claire Brewster, from Sheffield, lost her sister Kelly, 32, and was also injured in the blast.
She wrote on Twitter: “The Glade of Light is a beautiful tribute and it deserves complete respect and protection.
“Last night, amongst other things, I had to stand and argue with a grown man, apparently a member of the @BritishArmy, for him to stop trampling all over my sister’s name on her part of the halo.
“He was aggressive, abusive & argued he’s been blown up ‘for real’ in Afghanistan and isn’t lying like us!!
“I have massive respect for our armed forces, but they know the risks when then take on their role. 22 people went to a concert, not a war zone, and never made it home!
“We also had to move someone on from being sick and watch numerous others smoke weed or urinate right at the side of the memorial!
“Manchester please, I am begging you, treat this memorial as special. Pay your respects when it’s open, please don’t disrespect our families.”
In response to the claims, the council told the broadcaster it had sent a security team to guard the site overnight, while Councillor Pat Karney said an investigation would be launched “as a matter of urgency”.
Mr Karney said in a statement to the BBC: “The whole area is covered by CCTV and if footage shows it was due to the deliberate actions of mindless thugs, rather than a problem with the fencing itself, we will pass this information on to the police.
“We utterly condemn this mindless and disrespectful behaviour and will not hesitate to take action against those involved.”
The Glade of Light, located within Manchester’s Medieval Quarter, will feature a white marble halo ring with the names of the victims inscribed upon it.
A statement on the Manchester City Council website says: “The Glade of Light is designed to be a living memorial, a tranquil garden space for remembrance and reflection.
“Its peaceful surroundings are also intended as the setting for commemorative events in the city relating to the attack.”
