A COMMUNITY councillor has hit out at vandals who damaged paving at a memorial stone erected to mark the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh.

Alister Hadden said that paving at the back of the monument at Crookston was recently dug up for “no apparent reason”.

He added: “You would think they would appreciate the time and effort that has gone into creating an unmanned information point to bring a significant part of Scottish history into their world at no cost to themselves.”

Mr Hadden, a Wallyford community councillor, is also a member of the Old Musselburgh Club, which was instrumental in having the memorial stone erected just off Salters Road in 1998; he sits on the Pinkie Cleugh Battlefield Group.

He discovered the damage while out walking the family dog. An old pair of rusty garden shears, broken off at the handles, were used to dig up the paving, both of which were left at the scene.

Mr Hadden said it took club member the late George Montgomery more than 20 years of campaigning to get the monument installed to remember the 10,000 Scots who died in the fields between Wallyford, Musselburgh and Dalkeith during the battle on September 10, 1547.

Since then, the club, in partnership with the Pinkie Cleugh Battlefield Group, has sought to promote the battle in a bid to bring a greater understanding of it. This included battlefield walks along a trail which had four information boards, giving talks to clubs and organisations, and holding a commemoration ceremony at the memorial stone on the anniversary of the battle each year.

Mr Hadden said: “The Old Musselburgh Club and Pinkie Cleugh Battlefield Group have strived to enhance the area around the stone by having the area paved with funding from East Lothian Council’s Civic Pride Fund.

“They have had a bench installed for those wishing to rest at the area, along with an information board describing the last part of the battle.”

He said that the project was supported by the community payback team who cut the grass around the area on a regular basis to keep it looking cared for.

The paving has now been cemented back into place and the incident has been raised at the Community And Police Partnership (CAPP) meeting.

The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh took place to determine who should marry the infant Mary Queen of Scots. The larger Scottish army attacked across the River Esk into the teeth of ferocious cavalry charges, arrows, cannon and gunshot.

The outcome was a calamitous defeat for the Scots, with reports of up to 10,000 dead.

Campaigners are hoping to transform the derelict former Crookston School site near Wallyford into a visitor information centre for the battle.

Police said they were not aware of the incident.