THE family of a Darlington motorcyclist killed in a tragic accident six years ago say they have been left shattered after a roadside memorial to him was vandalised.

Mark Chadfield's family set up a plaque and planters and regularly go to the site on the A684 in Wensledyale where the 34-year-old died on September 3, 2010.

But when Mark’s mother, Pauline Chadfield, and her partner David Liddle visited the site at Temple Bank, between Leyburn and Aysgarth, last weekend, the memorial had gone.

“My mum was absolutely devastated,” said Mark’s sister Tracey Featherstone.

“Eventually they found it, it had been dumped over the stone wall, they got it back and restored it to it’s rightful place with new flowers. But we’re appalled that anyone would do this.

“It’s really obvious what it is and it has meant so much over the years for my mum to have that memorial for him.

"She likes to go there to be near where Mark was, it has been a small comfort in the middle of the overwhelming sadness.”

Now the family are appealing to local people to help keep watch over the memorial to try and ensure it is never damaged again.

Mark, from Darlington, was killed when a fellow motorcyclist who was riding with him, lost control and went into the path of an oncoming vehicle which swerved and hit Mark Chadfield’s Kawasaki, he died at the scene.

“It was a terrible accident. It’s only a couple of weeks to the anniversary and Mark would have been 40 this year so it is so important for the family and my mum,” said Mrs Featherstone, from Stillington, near Sedgefield.

“Since this happened my mum’s really worried it’s going to be vandalised again, she has been having problems sleeping, there were dad and son flower holders and memory cards for brother and son, so it was really plain to see why it was all there.

"We are disgusted to find that someone would do such a thing, the memorial was not harming anyone, not in the way of anything and difficult to access by road users, we have no idea why someone would do this.

“We are just hoping people will watch out for it, if whoever did this knows that people are keeping an eye on it, then hopefully that will be a deterrent, it means such a lot to us,” she added.