I SWITCHED on my telly on Thursday night to watch footage of the Chartist mural being smashed up and I gasped in horror.

I grew up in Newport and remember the mural with deep fondness. It vibrantly depicts a key moment in the town’s history. Common people had the guts to stand up for what they believed and many gave their lives.

How difficult would it have been simply to move it? It’s been done before. Newport Town Council had the wit to recognise its merit when they transferred it from the roundabout to John Frost Square. Am I alone in thinking this an act of cultural vandalism?

Michele Lowe Abergavenny