Mystery of damage to landmark

A WELL-KNOWN Valley landmark has been damaged - but were vandals or Jack Frost the culprit?

Waugh’s Well, named after the famous Lancashire dialect poet, Edwin Waugh, is a resting spot for walkers along the Rossendale Way.

The large stone, which holds a bust of Edwin Waugh, has recently fallen from its mount and has split into two pieces.

Graham Wright, of Prior Road in Waterfoot, regularly runs past the monument and spotted the damage as he passed on the morning of Sunday, January 7.

Graham, 67, said: “My first thought was that it was vandalism as it has been damaged in the past.”

But after sharing a photo of the monument on social media, some people suggested that weather damage during the recent cold and frosty spate may have been to blame.

Graham, who is chairman of the Rossendale Harriers running club, said the real cause has yet to be determined.

He has since retrieved the stone and has arranged to pass it over to the Edwin Waugh Dialect Society, who will repair and reinstate it.