A Sheppey man hopes people across the UK will lay flowers at memorials to honour a soldier brutally murdered in London.

Lee Ewart paid a tribute to Drummer Lee Rigby, 25, who was hacked to death in a street in Woolwich by Islamic extremists last week.

The chairman of the Island-based Fun for Life committee laid bunches of flowers at the Sheerness War Memorial, Bridge Road, Sheerness, on Saturday.

He said: “I had been wondering about doing it and a few of us on Facebook started talking about everybody over the country laying flowers and showing support for Lee’s family.

“I just went up there and laid it down and then I was in contact with someone else on Facebook and they said they were going to do it as well. I just have total respect for all our armed forces and the guys out there doing the best they can.

“I would like to see more people laying flowers on all the memorials just to show that we are together.”

Mr Ewart said he had no connection to the armed forces himself but his grandfather and father were both former soldiers.

He is now looking into holding a candle-light vigil for Mr Rigby’s family, which is being organised in locations across the country on June 9.

Raj Razzaque, who owns the Crown Hotel, High Street, Sheerness, which has an Islamic Cultural Centre, said he was not aware of any attacks against the Island’s Muslim community last week in response to the killing.