A plaque on the Gordon Memorial in Gravesend has been removed after fears it was targeted by thieves.

Gravesham council took the decision after the brass plaque's base was chipped away.

There are plans to repair the concrete and replace the plaque, which details the work of General Charles Gordon in the borough between 1865 and 1871.

The statue, based in the Gordon Memorial Gardens, was unveiled in 1893 in memory of the Royal Engineer based in Gravesend.

Gordon had donated to schools and helped families in need in the borough.

He also ran schools for the poor at Fort House and East Terrace as well as teaching at St Andrew's mission on the waterfront.

Each January, a memorial service is held in his memory

He was sent to Khartoum to protect British interests.

Whilst there, Mahdists - under the control of extreme Muslim leader Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi - attacked Khartoum, speared Gordon and chopped off his head.

Once news of his death reached Gravesend council, it decided to create the largest ever memorial to the borough's friend and benefactor.

A number of Gordon Schools were founded across England. They include one in Ordnance Street, Gravesend, which faces his memorial in the grounds of the Promenade gardens.