A historic war memorial is looking "tatty, shabby and unloved" according to a military history enthusiast calling for the landmark to be restored.

John Harris, 64, says the peeling paint and rust patches on the British Mark IV 'Female' Tank in Ashford town centre desperately need addressing as a sign of respect for its legacy.

The tank No. 245 is a dedicated war memorial that has sat proudly in St George's Square, just off New Street in the town centre, for more than 100 years.

It was first delivered in August 1919 and was one of 265 tanks gifted to towns that raised money to support the British war effort.

Its interior was gutted to make way for an electricity sub-station before becoming the empty shell that it is today.

Mr Harris, also a Battlefield Tour Guide, said: "It saddens me as a local to see it in this condition.

"I think it is a real asset to the town and I just found recently it seems to be looking shabby, tatty and a little bit unloved.

"Ideally I would like the rusting to be addressed and it would be nice to see it repainted and preserved so it can stay for another 100 years.

"This tank is unique, there are few mark IVs remaining in the world, but this is the only one of 265 presentation tanks that were awarded to towns that remains in situ.

"Although this tank wasn’t directly involved in the Great War, it was a training tank, it never saw action but the crew that brought it up here would have done.

"It's a legacy that we have inherited and I think we should look after it to pass on to future generations.

"The council did a good job commemorating the centenary, I'd like to see the same efforts extended to restoring the tank."

In 2020, a condition survey by Ashford Borough Council (ABC), which is responsible for the memorial, revealed the landmark is at risk of collapse within the next 20 years.

The report said the tank was "basically stable" but is in "critical need of large-scale intervention to re-establish structural integrity" and that an "extensive conservation treatment of the metal" is needed to safeguard its future.

Commenting on the state of the tank as it looks now, the corporate property team at ABC said: "The commercial property portfolio is currently being examined in depth by officers along with members in light of the current financial climate from which decisions will be made regarding priorities for the portfolio.

"This will then dictate planning and programming of any works deemed necessary but it may be the intervening elections will delay discussions and decisions by a few months."

Mr Harris, who lives in Kennington, in Ashford, has since sent his photos of the tank to The War Memorial Trust who have now downgraded the condition of the memorial from "good" to "fair/poor".

The trust's website says: "The memorial appears to be in 'fair to poor' condition.

"The paint has deteriorated and there are several areas of rust and expansion of the metal.

"War Memorials Trust recognises that the condition is deteriorating but that it is a complex memorial and is specialist.

"It is the custodian's decision to decide the point at which they intervene."