VANDALS have damaged a sign marking the spot where a young girl tragically lost her life after she and her horse were swept away while crossing a river

Scorch marks, possibly made with a lighter, have been branded on the metal panel beside the East Okement river at Fatherford woods put up in Charlotte Saunder’s memory.

Charlotte, 12, died in October 2001 when her horse lost its footing and she was swept down the river as she tried to cross the ford at Fatherford.

After her death, the community fundraised and donated to put up a bridge across the river so riders no longer have to cross the ford.

Claire Leech, who knew Charlotte well, found the sign damaged when she was walking her dog in Fatherford woods on Thursday last week.

‘I was absolutely gutted when I saw it, really upset,’ she said. ‘The sign is there for the memory of someone who was really special to a lot of people.

‘I walk up there several times a week with the dog and always make sure the plaque is clean and moss free. I went up there on the Tuesday and it was normal and then on Thursday it was like that.’

She added: ‘I knew Charlotte since she was born because I worked at her family’s stables. I used to ride at Fatherford with Charlotte. It was her favourite ride. She would be in her 20s now.

‘I watched her grow up and changed her nappies as a baby and it is just not nice to see someone has been that disrespectful to her memory.’

Since she posted news of the vandalism on Facebook she has had an offer for a replacement for free. ‘The new sign will be metal and it will be graffiti and vandal-proof,’ she said.

The sign explains how Charlotte’s Bridge was opened over the river in May 2011 by the community to provide a crossing for riders so they didn’t need to use the ford.

‘The bridge that was there before was a tiny footbridge,’ said Claire. ‘You can now ride over the new bridge and it has made it more accessible because everybody can use it, pushchairs can go across and wheelchairs can go across it.’

Charlotte’s family and friends and Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council, Okehampton United Charity and Devon County Council all contributed to the bridge and the sign, which the parish council has pledged to restore.