A council has removed a bizarre 'tribute' to notorious criminal Raoul Moat spotted on a bench in New Brighton.

A photograph shared on Twitter showed a small memorial plaque on a bench in the Wirral emblazoned with the words: "In loving memory of Raoul Moat 1973-2010 Taken too soon D&A XX".

It is not known how long the plaque has been in place or who installed it.

Moat came to national notoriety in 2010 when he shot former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart and her new boyfriend Chris Brown in Gateshead, killing Mr Brown.

Moat then launched a vendetta against Northumbria Police, blinding PC David Rathband with a shotgun blast before going on the run.

The Northern Echo: Police search for Raoul Moat (inset) Police search for Raoul Moat (inset)

Moat's offences sparked a huge police manhunt that led to Rothbury, Northumberland, where Moat was cornered before shooting himself.

At one stage former England footballer Paul Gascoigne arrived at the crime scene, claiming to know Moat and offering to bring him "chicken and lager" in an attempt to convince him to surrender; Gascoigne was denied access to the fugitive

Responding to the picture, a spokesperson for Wirral Council said: "This was not authorised or put in place by Wirral Council.

"As we do with any vandalism or graffiti we would investigate the report and it would be removed as quickly as possible after being reported to the council, In this case the plaque has now been removed."

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