“Let the Montgomery go up and we can rebuild the town.”

That is the reaction of a Sheerness trader after the clock tower he helped to repaint for the Queen’s Jubilee was struck by vandals.

Brian Spoor, a member of Sheerness Enhancement Association for Leisure (SEAL), called marker pen scrawled on the side of the Sheppey landmark “disgusting”.

The incident comes less than two weeks after one of the hanging baskets put up to give the High Street a makeover was stolen and just over a month after the clock tower was given a £7,500 new look.

The vandal had claimed the Sheppey landmark was theirs and also written some expletives relating to the Queen.

Inmates from HMP Standford Hill, who have been maintaining the floral displays in the town, spotted the graffiti on Wednesday.

Mr Spoor, who owns Brian’s Cookers, in Beach Street, Sheerness, said: “It makes no sense. For what reason? What enjoyment do they get out of that? I can understand them nicking the flower baskets, but not [attacking] the Queen, it’s so disrespectful.

“I blame the parents, there are so many feral children running around here. You can bet your bottom dollar it’s always the same kids hanging about. There are people trying to do something to brighten the town up and this sort of thing happens.

“Let the Montgomery go up and we can rebuild the town, that is the best thing to do with this town.”

Swale council sent environmental wardens to the site on Thursday who had hoped they would be able remove the writing with a chemical wipe.

Their attempts were unsuccessful and the council is now considering painting over the vandalism.