IT had stood the test of time, but now relics of the First World War have been destroyed without a word to the community that planned to preserve them.

Machinery from the former industrial blacksmith at Stockton Heath Forge, which produced spades used to dig trenches, was thrown on to the scrapheap on Monday, leaving residents furious.

Julie Querin, who was working with other residents to salvage the machinery, said: "How can this have happened? How can our councillors have let it happen?"

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: "Sixteen tonnes of metal have just vanished and we can do nothing.

"This is bare-faced sabotage. We have lost a huge piece of the village's heritage."

A new restoration scheme was under way to bring its past into the 21st century, with a display of the old industrial machinery saved from the extensive revamp of the village's Forge Shopping Centre, on London Road.

Four years ago digging tools made by the Forge between 1914 and 1918 were excavated from Forelles trenches in France, showing the manufacturer's historic importance.

The Forge dispatched boxes of spades to Moscow for the Russian government, shortly before the revolution, in the early 1900s.

As part of the renovation project, metal parts had been expected to be restored to their former glory in an open-air conservation exhibition along the Manchester Ship Canal.

Plans were dashed when the old wheels and blacksmith equipment, which have stood outside the shopping area, were removed on Saturday evening and later cut up.

A spokesman for the contractors working for developers JBZ Ltd said: "Yes, the metal has been scrapped. We were instructed to do it by the developers, although I cannot say where it was taken to."

Last year Stephen Pighill, director of the Forge developers, told the Warrington Guardian he supported moves to display the relics.

At the time he said: "The old Forge machinery didn't fit into future plans for the centre, so we inquired if it could be used locally.

"When people walk along the bank side they will be able to see points of interest, which contributes to the history of the area.

"It's important as a reflection of the past as an industrial revolution."

However, this week Mr Pighill was unavailable for comment on the situation.

One piece of machinery remains and is being stored in a warehouse in Manchester.

What do you think? Should the developers pay for a replica? Send us your letters of complaint and we will forward them to Stephen Pighill, of JBZ Ltd