A pair of benches have been removed over anti-social behaviour fears just days before Prince Harry is to dedicate Folkestone’s new memorial arch.

The two seats, renowned in the town as a hotspot for “drunks” at the top of the Road of Remembrance, were taken away on the advice of the police over “concerns raised by the public”, a Kent Police spokesman said today.

But they will be returned later this year.

Prince Harry is due to arrive in Folkestone on Monday in time for a ceremony over lunchtime.

The town is preparing for one of the biggest days in its history as it pays respect to the millions of men who passed through its harbour to the battlefields in Belgium and France never to return.

Police spokesman, Jon Green, added: “It has been removed as a temporary measure in response to concerns from the public about anti-social behaviour by groups of drunks who congregate on and around the bench acting abusively and intimidating passers-by.

"The bench will be returned in the autumn.”

Tune into kmfm on Monday and log on to KentOnline for full coverage of the day Folkestone and Kent commemorate the lives sacrificed in the First World War.